The Return to Satellite 5
by Merrianna
Summary: The sequel to The Quest for Damara: This is a retell of "Bad Wolf", "The Parting of the Ways" and "Born Again". There will be changes.
1. Prologue: Wolf Moon Rising

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who . Those are the sole property of the BBC.

Return to Satellite 5 AU: "Bad Wolf", "The Parting of the Ways" and "Born Again ".

Sherry Gagne

Prologue: Wolf Moon Rising

Rose laughed along with the Doctor and Jack as they ran for the TARDIS. Kyoto, Japan, in the year 1336 was one of more interesting adventures they'd had so far. It would have been nice to stay a little longer but Jack just couldn't stay out of trouble. So they were on the run again, but at least the last month of awkwardness after the Planet Sarkios was gone. The Doctor was once again holding her hand and pulling her along to make sure she kept up with him and Jack, whose strides were longer; finally the blue police box came into sight.

"All right, Doc, I know you're not happy with me, but just remember it had been your idea."

"Jack, I said distract the man not proposition his wife."

Rose had no idea what either of them were talking about, but she did suspect that it might have something to do with her. It was one of the side effects from the Sarkios misadventure: both the Doctor and Jack had been overly protective.

The only sign that something had gone wrong was Jack finding her locket. Rose had panicked when she first woke up in her room on the TARDIS. She'd had no memory except the trio being in the marketplace then she found her necklace, a present from her dad for her twentieth birthday, missing. She had tried to get information about what had happened, but neither of her companions would talk.

"In we go." The Doctor's northern accent broke into Rose's reflection. All three clamored into the blue police box which was bigger on the inside.

The Doctor was up the ramp and pressing buttons and flicking switches, taking the TARDIS into the time vortex. "Well, that had been fun. Where to next."

Jack and Rose both laughed at the Doctor's eager expression, knowing that another adventure just around the corner.

"Well, why don't you surprise us," Rose suggested, not really caring where they went most of the time just as long as she was with the Doctor and Jack.

The Doctor grinned and started to race around the console. Suddenly the air was energized with blinding light which seeped through the ship walls. Rose faded away followed closely by Jack and finally the Doctor; before any of them knew it, they were transported out of the TARDIS.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 1: Wolf Moon Rising

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who . Those are the sole property of the BBC.

Return to Satellite 5 AU: "Bad Wolf", "The Parting of the Ways" and "Born Again".

Chapter One: Wolf Moon Rising

Rose came to, facing up in a dark room on a cold floor. Rose's stomach revolted; the blonde woman quickly rolled over as the impulse to retch overcame her. In the background she could hear voices, though she didn't have the energy to make out what was being said.

A hand touched her shoulder, helping her away from where she had expelled her last meal. "I'm so not having traditional Japanese any time soon," Rose groaned as her stomach lurched once again, but this time she was able to control the reaction.

"Come on, Dearie, we need to get you dressed." A brusque middle-aged woman with streaked hair of pink and blue, wearing a beige staff uniform, demanded as she hauled Rose to her feet.

"What? Why?" Rose questioned in confusion barely managing not to vomit again. Her skin was slick with perspiration and she was paler than normal.

"Well, we can't have you going on the floor looking like a street urchin. Besides the smell would knock over a Judoon," the pink and blue haired woman commented as she pushed a still befuddled Rose behind a curtain. There she was stripped out of her street attire and prodded into a slinky pink and yellow ballroom dress. Rose attempted to fight back but she didn't feel well and her efforts were in vain. She was able to retain her jewelry, though she had no idea with her clothes were placed. She was then propelled into a rickety chair where a person, Rose thought was a man but she couldn't tell for sure as it started to work on her makeup and hair. The makeup was put on even thicker than even she would normally do it, and he tugged and pulled at her hair so that she bit her the inside her cheek not to scream in pain. Finally he reached for her jewelry "Those have to go."

"Don't... you dare." Rose's hands went to her throat and ears trying to protect her personal items.. They could take her clothes but some of the pieces she was wearing were too important to her, and Rose didn't know if these people would give them back.

The stylists gave an exasperated sigh, "Fine... keep your baubles, but that clunky thing is too big and doesn't match everything else."

Rose glanced down knowing immediately which one the guy was talking about. Her locket with it's intricate engravings and about the size of a ladies pocket watch was out of place with the rest of what she was now forced to wear. Rose nodded sadly, "fine, but I want to be able to hold on to."

"Really, you're worried about that? Whatever." The stylist turned back to his table coming back with with cloth wristbands. "Here, you put it in there and you'll still be wearing it. Now quickly everything about to start."

Rose complied fast as she could still not knowing what was going on. The one wristband had a small compartment which would barely fit the locket, but Rose wasn't going to argue further.

With one brief look in the mirror Rose didn't recognize herself. Her hair was piled on top of her head with a couple of tendrils of wavy hair on either side of her face. Her face was transformed into something more exotic than the plain features of a girl that only a year before worked in a common shop.

"What floor? Where am I?" Rose asked once again as she was dragged from the chair and into another dimly lit room where the former shop girl counted at least seven couples and one lone man standing impatiently.

"Here's your partner, Number Five," said the pink and blue haired woman. The man scowled in annoyance.

A man stood nearby with a flat transparent screen he checked then announced in a booming voice, "and were going on the air in ten minutes. Right, people, places."

"But where am I? Where's the Doctor? Jack? What's going on?" Rose demanded in desperation.

"You're on the show 'Ballroom X.' Her dance partner said condescendingly.

Rose looked at the man about her age with dark brown hair and pleasant features: what the Doctor would call a pretty boy. He was dressed in a form-fitting yellow shirt with pink accents with a number five tagged to the front, black pants with thin pink and yellow stripes down the sides, with black dances shoes. Rose glanced down seeing a corresponding five on the front of her dress. "But I'm not a dancer." Sure she'd watched shows that had ballroom dancing in, and she did have to learn various moves when she was in gymnastics, but that had been ages ago.

"Ssh... Don't be so loud. You'll get us kicked off." The yellow shirted man looked around to be sure no one heard Rose's outburst. "Listen here, Girlie. You're not who I was supposed to be with. My partner should have been transmatted with me, but for some reason the producers thought throwing in a novice was a great idea. Unfortunately for me I got you."

"Hey well that's terrific. We both don't want me here. So lets just tell them there was a mistake. Yeah," Rose said as optimistically as she could. She really didn't feel good and thought she very well might be sick again.

"Yeah, no, that's not going to happen. No one's allowed to leave unless they are voted off," the brown haired man informed Rose as if she were a dunce. "And I for one don't plan on getting the boot even with you weighing me down."

Rose scowled at Number Five in annoyed exasperation. "Really."

"Yes. Really, and don't even think about messing me up. You won't like the consequences." He stepped menacing into her space. Rose had to swallow back the bile that rose into her mouth.

"Fine," Rose grumbled, already formulating a plan to get out the stupid contest so she could go and find her friends.

* * *

"What is it? What's going on?" The Doctor questioned as he found himself in a cramped cupboard in the dark. In searching for a way to get out, the Doctor jammed his fingers and knocked his head into a wall before finding the door knob. The door opened easily and, still being uncoordinated, the Time Lord fell out into the other room.

The Doctor's face connected with the floor as he landed ungracefully in a brightly colored room. The walls had large drawings that were ultra modern with just splashes of color. The furniture was also in the same style: puffy and bright. He finally noticed a woman standing over him.

"Oh, wow, are you alright?" a blonde woman with pigtails asked concern evident in her bubbly voice.

She wore clothes that reminded him of someone, but at the moment he was having a hard time thinking clearly.

The woman continued on, not waiting for an answer. "We didn't know you were coming. I wonder why they put you in there. It's unbelievable."

Still trying to make sense as to what happen, and not wanting to stay on the floor, the Doctor attempted to gain his feet with the help of the blonde woman. "Ah, what? What happened?" Unfortunately his limbs seemed to be not getting the message as he was once more faced-planted on the floor.

"Oh, be careful there," the woman said. "That transmat, it scrambles your head. Mind when I came through I was sick for days."

Once again the Doctor pushed himself up and, clutching more firmly on to the familiarly dressed woman, he finally got to his feet. Still using her, he managed to stay up right.

"Well! Love, what's your name?" The bubbly woman smiled encouragingly.

The Doctor looked at her as if not comprehending the question; he shook his a bit before answering. "Ah. I think. Um, the Doctor. I'm unsure what's going on? Where..."

"You were selected." She grinned brilliantly, not understanding the Doctor's question and thinking her answer was all he needed to know of what happened.

The Doctor still had a puzzled look on his face at the woman's explanation as it didn't make much sense to him. "For what?"

"It's brilliant really. You're the newest house mate. You were selected to be in the house." She let out a genuinely happy laugh that he'd been given a great honor.

"That's not fair," a whiny voice came from across the room, and there stood two more house mates. The voice was that of a man with brown messy hair and a thin face, wearing a white t-shirt with a big red-lipped mouth, pink tongue sticking out. A pretty black skinned woman with black hair pulled back into a ponytail and wearing a pink shirt stood next to him with the same expression of annoyance.

The Doctor took in more of the large room with it's big stylized eyes everywhere; it gave him the impression that they were constantly being watched, which, if his memory served him as things slowly began to come back to him, they were anyway with camera's being pointed at them.

"In five minutes someone's going to be evicted. It's not right that he comes swanning in now. I've not had a single warning and followed the rules to the letter. This can't be happening," the man continued, peeved about the Doctor's appearance in the house. The Time Lord looked on still confused as to how he got there.

"That's it, I'm gonna protest. They're changing the rules again. I'll give them a reason to give me a warning... I'll paint the walls. I'll do it, don't see if I don't," the black haired woman said all bluster.

The Doctor for the third time looked around, trying to understand what was happening. The place still wasn't registering in his mind with the over-colorful oddness and the three people that were living there in their own world.

The camera attached to the ceiling turned slowly taking in the whole drama for the hundred of thousands of views. A female synthesized voice blared out over the loud music that had started to play. "The Doctor, would you please come to the Diary Room?"

The Doctor's blue eyes scanned the area, trying to find where the newest voice came from. He turned around abruptly when a buzzing came from behind him. There was another door, silver with the ever present black stylized eye staring back, and beside it was a blue-lit sensor shaped also as an eye.

He tentatively stepped over, opening the strange door, and went inside. He didn't have a good feeling about any of it.

The Diary Room was dark with a light center on a red oversized, oddly shaped chair in the center. He walked over and dropped into the chair, feeling out of his element, though he wasn't sure what that would be; he also was starting to feel a little nauseous which didn't seem right either.

Once again the female voice came over the music, "You are live on channel forty-four-thousand. As always, please do not swear."

A look of incredulity appeared on the Doctor's face at the utter surreality of it all. "You have got to be kidding."

TBC...


	3. Chapter 2: Wolf Moon Rising

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who . Those are the sole property of the BBC.

Note: CUSpacecowboy to answer your question "Born Again" was a mini-episode that took place between "The Parting of the Ways" and "Christmas Invasion".

Return to Satellite 5 AU: "Bad Wolf", "The Parting of the Ways" and "Born Again".

Chapter Two: Wolf Moon Rising

Jack moaned as he opened his eyes: everything was blurry at first. He could hear a couple of female sounding robotics talking, and as they came into focus the voices matched the attempt to make them automatically correct. As if that wasn't bad enough the room was hospital white.

"Why can't they send us someone interesting. Or not so fashion not." The purple droid with small plastic breasts and pen tip shaped head complained.

The shorter blue droid with plastic hair in a bowl cut, large anime type blue shaped eyes and large plastic breasts studied the 51st century man critically. "Well he is kind of cute. With a good strong jaw and nice hair."

Jack realized that he was looking up from a reclined position and the droids were hovering over him.

"Hmm. Maybe but it's kind of old fashion." The purple still didn't sound convinced that the man wouldn't be a lot of work.

The ex-time agent tried to get up but whatever it was the had transported him there had done a number on him. He felt weak, groggy and just a bit mystified as where he was. "Yeah ladies... it's a pleasure to meet you but where is here?"

Being robots they went with what was programmed into them as they turned back into the room. The purple seemed be continuing with what was next on its internal list. "Your image needs updating and we are here to give it to you."

Jack was finally able to sit up and proceeded to try to get a better answer, "Wait a minute, I was in the TARDIS with the Doctor... woah... what do you mean? What's wrong with my clothes?"

The bobbed plastic-haired droid turned back to address Jack's last question. "Where to start." It seemed to contemplated its answer, "You're sporting a very twentieth to early twenty-first century attire. I mean, really, what's with the denim? Was it some ancient hand me down?"

Jack looked down at his jean clad legs as he slipped off the bed . "No, I got them from a small shop in Cardiff. Actually a place called um 'The Top Shop'."

The shorter droid glided over to him, forcing Jack to walk further into the stark white room. "Huh, that explains its classic design."

"That may be, but it shouts 'Oklahoma Farm Boy'. He really needs some color. We have our work cut out." The tall disagreeable droid obviously was not satisfied with its partners optimistic programming.

Jack indignantly stood with his hands on hips not knowing what to say, if anything, to the fashion robots. It wasn't like they were human and there was a chance to be able to win in a verbal discussion. Jack began to put the pieces together. 'I'm in a reality show.'

The more personable of the two made a staying gesture as if to a dog. "Now don't move while the Defabricator does its magic."

Jack stayed put not wanting the Defabricator to do any damage to his body. His curiosity got the better of him though, 'cause he did not want to be surprised. "So a Defabricator. What does that do?"

Unfortunately for Jack the two droids activated the machine before he could finish. The futuristic device hummed and a bright beam of light spread over Jack's body. The material began to disintegrate, leaving the ex-time agent naked. Jack kept a look of nonchalance on his face; the experience of standing naked before people, or droids as the case may be, wasn't the first.

"All right... Defabricator. Perfect name for it. So I'm naked to like a million viewers?" Jack couldn't help asking. He had an irrepressible need to be admired.

The two female robots clapped their hands together and intoned at the same time. "Precisely."

Grinning widely Jack glanced down at himself then back up. "Ladies... your viewing figures just went up."

The Doctor stood near a door brandishing his sonic screwdriver; the blue light flickered as it whirred and buzzed as he attempted to unlock it. "Why can't I open it?" He asked the bubbly blonde.

The blonde woman gave the Doctor a sympathetic look, "That's because it's deadlock sealed. It's the result of Big Brother Five hundred and four. All the contestants walked out...?" She explained even as the brooding man walked away. "You have ta remember that right."

The Doctor had to get out of the confining space. He needed answers, which he wasn't about to find by staying in the human reality show. He inspected around a mirror. "And this?"

The woman skipped over, her pigtails bobbing with the action. "It's exoglass. The manufacture says it can almost withstand a nuclear bomb." She was curious about the man; she'd never seen anyone so intent on leaving. He seemed to vibrate with contained energy, which was in equal parts terrifying and contagious.

"You shouldn't tempt me," the Doctor said absently as he scanned the area around the mirror with his sonic screwdriver. His stomach churned unpleasantly but he ignored it, not having time to be sick... besides Time Lords didn't get ill.

Hesitantly, the blonde went over and leaned against the wall, still watching his every movement; as fascinating as the man was, the bubbly woman had other things on her mind. She whispered to the Doctor in a conspiratorial voice, "You've been on the outside. We're not supposed to talk about it, but I was wondering. Do the people watching like me? I'm Lynda with a 'Y' the other Linda damaged a camera and was forcibly evicted. She only had an 'I'."

The Doctor nodded his head with a small grin on his face, even as his stomach clenched in discomfort; he made believe that he was following Lynda's meandering talk. He wasn't going to discourage the young woman, seeing as she had been the only one of the three occupants to even attempt to answer his questions. Her next inquiry had him begin rethinking it though.

"Am I well-liked?" Lynda asked nervously waiting for the Doctor's reply.

The Doctor restrained himself from rolling his eyes. Humans worried about the silliest things. "I don't know." He said bluntly hoping that would end that line of questioning. The Doctor wasn't in the best of moods to answer questions that didn't help him figure out what was going on, and his physical problems made him even more irritable.

The woman called Lynda with a "Y" wouldn't let the matter go. She'd been on the reality show for a while and the blonde woman felt like she was mostly ignored. Sure she followed the rules, not wanting to be kicked off, but still… "But Doctor." _What a strange name,_Lynda thought before continuing, "Does that mean I'm invisible? Like I'm not even noticed? I mean some contestants go a long way 'cause they're non-entities. Doctor, does anybody like me?" The bubbly woman finally ran out of air and her voice quavered at the last question.

The Doctor stopped his inspection of the wall to give the blonde woman his full attention, realizing that she'd had a brave act on the whole time. She was just a frightened human with a load of insecurities. The Doctor knew that if he was going to be able to escape he'd need someone help and so far Lynda had been the most helpful. The Time Lord quickly thought of something to say to boost the human woman's confidence. "Hmm… You're friendly. Yeah, friendly and cute. Yup, all the viewer's think you're cute." The Doctor gave Lynda a wide grin.

Lynda looked a bit dazed then grinned back, her face flushed a light pink at the compliment. "Wow! Really? They think I'm cute?" She continued to grin foolishly at the Doctor's words and giggling. "I've never been called that before. I am cute? No foolin'?"

The Doctor, still grinning, nodded. "Yeah. Quite cute!" He went back to investigating the mirror.

Lynda gazed at the Doctor as if he had delivered Christmas early, and, before he could deflect her, the blonde woman had given him a big hug. "Thank you!"

"Yeah." He extracted himself quickly as a worse feeling of nausea than before crashed into him. He'd had a sick feeling when he'd first arrived, and it had continued longer than he thought it should ,but what he had just felt went beyond transport sickness. The Doctor was becoming suspicious of these symptoms, but he didn't have time at the moment to explore the possible reasons.

The Doctor refocused his mind back onto escaping. Distancing himself from the bubbly blonde, the Doctor took in the solid black windows. He could tell that whoever had designed the set wasn't going with anything natural. "Shouldn't there be a garden on the other side of the windows?" He strolled over with long strides, needing to put more distance between himself and Lynda besides needing to further examine the fake veranda.

Unfortunately for the Doctor, Lynda followed behind him like a lost puppy. "Garden? Why would anyone put a Garden on a set? Especially since nobody has them anymore." Her eyes widened in wonder as a thought struck. "Doctor, do you have a garden!" Lynda's voice rose several octaves in delight at the prospect of the man before her being able to have such an exotic thing.

The Doctor was busy looking over the wall, trying to find the slightest crack or seam to which he could use his sonic screwdriver on. "A Garden no… Well more like a rainforest in the TARDIS." The fuzziness in his brain, courtesy of the transmat, finally lifted; he turned back to his new friend as if struck by a revelation. "It's back. My memory. Ha." Though how he could have forgotten Rose, Jack and the TARDIS was a bit pitiful for a Time Lord like himself.

Lynda clapped her hands in delight for the leather-clad man's returned memories, "You're getting better. So how did they pick you."

The Doctor stood there with a contemplative look on his face. The memories of just before he'd arrived at the Big Brother House flashed through his mind: the planets that the three of them had visited Sarkios, Raxacoriofallapatorius and then back to Earth... all the adventures they had been through. He remembered that they had just left Kyoto, Japan circa 1336. They'd barely escaped because of Jack. The Doctor felt the warmth of once again being in sync with Rose and of holding her warm human hand.

"We were in the TARDIS and then there was this blinding light that had emininented through the wall of TARDIS. It sucked Rose and Jack into it. I couldn't get to them. They… we were pulled out of the TARDIS." The Doctor blinked back to the present, his blue eyes fell on Lynda with sudden intensity. "Then I was falling out of the cupboard."

Lynda shivered slightly at the look on the Doctor's face. He seemed very put out about the whole thing. It was a little frightening. "That's generally the way the house mates are chosen. The transmat beam just picks you up from whatever you were doing."

The Doctor looked around the room once again, "Oh, Lynda with a Y… friendly, cute Lynda…" He walked back into the middle of the room, "that should have been impossible."

The Doctor paced back and forth, all the while the rage steadily built, spewing forth in his clipped Northern accent. "It wasn't like I was just passing by. Oh, no, some inferior alien transmat does not get inside the TARDIS. That was a powerful beam, that was. There is no such thing as coincidence. There is definitely something bigger going on.I don't like when people try to play games with me or my friends. We're not somebody's chess piece, either."

Over a hundred thousand viewers watched as the man calling himself the Doctor came directly to the camera hidden behind the mirror. "Okay folks at home, I'm giving my notice. I'm going to get out of the Big Brother house one way or another." The Doctor pointed a threatening finger into the hidden camera. "No one's going to stop me from finding my friends. And, fair warning, I'm gonna find _you_." The last came out in a snarl.

TBC…


	4. Chapter 3: Wolf Moon Rising

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who . Those are the sole property of the BBC.

Return to Satellite 5 AU: "Bad Wolf", "The Parting of the Ways" and "Born Again".

Chapter Three: Wolf Moon Rising

At the top most area of the Station was a large room filled with computers and built-in monitors manned by human employees. The place was dark except the backing of blue which lit from behind.

A programmer, an average man in about his thirties, sat in front of one of the monitors an earpiece held to his right ear. He watched the 'Big Brother' reality show to give the queues to the computer. As the leather clad man pointed a threatening finger directly into the hidden camera the Tech frowned in both confusion and irritation.

It wasn't right; the blue eyed man shouldn't have been there. There wasn't supposed to be a new house mate; he had no idea where the man called the Doctor had come from. Putting down his earpiece, he stood and strode over to the senior Tech on Floor 500.

He approached the brown-haired woman with a pink hair tie; she was working away at her own computer. Placing a hand on the desk he leaned into the woman. "I need a moment," he said with some urgency.

"Wait a tic… I'll be right with you." The woman was staring intently at her monitor and listening to the person on the other end. On her screen was the image of the 'Ballroom X' studio; the eight couples were getting ready for the show. Techs were going over the programming of the robot host just off the dance floor. "And the show's going on air in 19… 18… seconds."

* * *

Rose looked at her partner. She didn't even know the man's name for God's sake. "So... um... What's your name since we shouldn't have to say 'hey you' across the dance floor," the blonde woman attempted a warm smile through another bout of nausea.

"The name's Rick," he said offhandedly, paying more attention to the other dancers.

"Mine's Rose." The blonde woman had a quick look about the place. It was very dark and Rose couldn't see anything that resembled a door or other form of exit.

"Yeah, great, Rose. Let's get one thing straight: we aren't going to be friends. We just need to make it to the end, and against some these contestants we shouldn't have too much trouble until the finish. You need to follow my lead. Let's see if you have that much in you." Rick took Rose's hand and pulled her into his arms. "And another thing: you need to do everything the Len-bot says."

Rose froze in her dance partner's arms as she paled and broke out in a cold sweat, quickly fighting back the sick pervading her stomach. She stumbled into the man a little as he moved her about like a rag doll.

"You are going to have to do better than that."

Before Rose could shoot a scathing comment back the same man with the booming voice was there. "We are on in 17… 16… 15… we'll be transmitting, thank you people, in 12... 11... 10..."

Agitated, Rose pulled away from Rick. "I don't belong here and need to find the Doctor."

Rick tugged Rose into him and hissed into her ear. "Shut your gob. You are here and you'll play the game!"

Rose swallowed, but looked up defiantly at Rick, "Fine I'll play along and help you win this. It shouldn't be that hard." The blonde took a deep breath, willing the sickness away and trying to channel that into confidence, plastering a smile to her face.

Rick gave the blonde woman a disbelieving look. He didn't seem to think she was in her right mind. He had to wonder if she even knew how much danger they were really in.

The tech employees moved out of range of the cameras and the floor manager glided back out of the only light in the room. "3, and go!"

Len-bot came to life at the word go and moved gesturing to the camera, "Welcome back to 'Ballroom X' where the contest dance to impress and win the right to perform on stage. And its survival of the fittest." Sparkling music pulse and glitter lightning flashed over the dance floor.

Len-bot turned on the spot looking out across the assembled couples. "We start with the first three rounds which eliminates two couples. The rules are: you are given five minutes to put a routine together then perform it front of our viewers who will then vote off the least liked performance."

The music once again pulsed and the lights fluttered in a dramatic fashion. Len-bot's expressionless face looked to all the faces as if waiting for agreements. "The last thing is that the dances are all randomly picked." On the front of its plastic body a LED lit monitor blinked on. "And to start: Team One Agorax," the screen flashed and loads of different dance names went scrolling down until it stopped. "You have the Cha Cha," announced the robot in programmed cheer.

The Len-bot went through all eight couples in the same manner. Team two Fitch had swing waltz, Team three Pando took Rumba, Team four Lorvick was given the Charleston, Team six Colleen comically got Tap, Team seven Broff seemed to cry at getting the Jitterbug, and Team eight Eden surprisingly got the Bolero.

Rick seemed happy with getting the quickstep. "This is great. We can get one of the fastest dances out of the way, and we can stay in hold for most of it. We also have an added bonus as we'll have more time since we're not in group competitions yet."

Rose gave her dance partner an incredulous look, "But still its only twenty minutes and isn't that cheating."

Rick shrugged, taking her wrist roughly and dragging her off to the side to a small dimly lit practice space. "It really doesn't matter. The others will be doing the same. Well, not team one. I'm sure it sucks to be them."

Rose wrest her bruising wrist out of Rick's hand. "But that's just wrong."

Rick rushed to her, wrapping an arm around Rose, and ushered her to their allotted space. He practically picked the blonde woman up to move her away from the large dance floor. "I don't care, and if you want to win you won't either. Just remember, sweetie-girl, I'm running this show," he whispered threateningly in Rose's ear.

Rose stopped protesting only because her stomach wouldn't settle. The former shop-girl was beginning to see a pattern to it. Unfortunately for her it wasn't going to end anytime soon and, from what she observed, the only way out of the ridiculous reality show was winning or getting the boot. Normally the pretty boy Rick won't be much of a problem. She'd dealt with worse aliens than a lowly human. Wow,she was really starting to think like the Doctor, she chided herself. The thing was that dancer Rick had a look in his eyes that kind of frightened her. She also didn't have a way to escape.

Rose was glad that she was a quick learner when it came to physical activities. It wasn't that she was dumb; the reason she didn't get her A-levels was teenaged angst, thinking she was in love with an idiot like Jimmy Stone. Dropping out of school hadn't been a good idea, but by the time Rose had realized it Jimmy had racked up debts in her name. She'd then had to move back in with her mum after a physical confrontation when she'd dumped the loser.

"Well, you'll have to do." Rick sighed as he saw the assistant floor manager signal them to get ready. Rose wasn't so sure if she could make it through the routine. Her stomach wouldn't stop churning and she had to constantly swallow back to keep from retching, though she was positive that there was nothing left in it from earlier. In her opinion dry heaves were actually worse. Rose was desperate to have a glass of water and maybe a few plain biscuits.

They took the ballroom floor; Rick was holding her too tight in Rose's estimation. Right before the music began the odious man hissed once more into her ear, "and don't forget to smile!"

Rose put a sickly smile on; it was the best the arsewipe git was going to get. She would have blasted him back but the music began and Rick the wanker was off. Rose just managed to keep up; the fast pace did at least take her mind off being sick.

As planned Rose followed his lead as they pranced across the floor. As they twisted and turned around he dancefloor Rose became surer of her steps. The music began its wind down. Rick surprised Rose by dipping her at the end. The motion made her stomach heave leaving a pained expression on her face instead of the strained smile she'd had previously. Rick pulled her back up holding tightly onto Rose's waist which just increased her discomfort. The man forced her to bow and led her off to the same allotted space as before.

Rose could feel the anger radiating off him. The blonde woman flinched away, but she didn't care what had upset the dancer. She spotted a small table that had water on it and a dust bin just below. She pushed away from Rick aware that he was talking, but all that register to her was finally she'd get some relief. Finally letting her body have its way Rose picked up the trash as her stomach ejected what was left inside until she was left dry-heaving a couple of times.

Bewildered, she saw a glass of water in her line of vision. "Drink, this so we can work on some other dance moves before the next round." Rose took the water and drained the contents slowly even through Rick's glaring.

They did practice until the last couple finished. Rose wished she could have seen what the others did, but Rick the wanker was too intent on teaching her as much as possible just in case the first two teams being eliminated were the teams before them.

All the couples were reassembled quickly into a line up in front of robot host. Everyone but Rose was looking nervous; she was still pale and looking sickly. Her partner Rick was shifting agitated from foot to foot.

Len-bot swiveled looking at Team One, "Team Agorax, though your Cha Cha was precision perfect, the dance lacked emotion." The robotic host critiqued each couple's performance or lack thereof but when it came to Rose and Rick's, the blonde woman had a fit of the giggles, despite the constant feeling of nausea, over the whole thing. They were acting as if the Robot was infallible; its criticisms were coming from an artificial programmed piece of plastic. What did it know about showing expression or the lack thereof.

The Len-bot did not give the blonde woman any thought as it gave its analyzation of team five's performance. "Team Rick while the steps were correct and the speed appropriate, the female Rose's facial expressions left something to be desired. If you go on to the next round you will need to have harder steps and a better facial control."

* * *

As the 'Ballroom X' show played out for the Techs on floor 500, the brown haired man and woman were dumbfounded by the female contestant number five. She certainly wasn't a dancer and to start laughing was bizarre to say the least. "What does she think is so funny?" the brunette woman inquired of her fellow Tech.

The female tech's brown eyes met the man's own brown ones. "Jesus… she doesn't know what's going on."

"Precisely, it's what I've been trying to tell you. A man appeared out of nowhere in the 'Big Brother House'. The game is taken over," he whispered in a hushed urgent whisper, leaning further into his colleague's space.

* * *

In the 'What Not To Wear Studio' Jack was standing in front of a mirror admiring the clothes that showed off his physical attributes. Giving the mirror his full attention, he lifted his arms and started flexing his muscles to see how well it showed. The black leather pants hugged him in all the right places and the white vest was like a second skin.

The pessimistic small-breasted droid seemed to hum with satisfaction, "It's good old fashion pirate, with a splash of buccaneer and a dash of Governor Schwarzenegger."

Jack looked over at the fussy droid before voicing his doubts. "Well maybe, but I'm not too sure about this vest. I thought you both said I needed a little color. It seems a bit down-played."

The sweet anime droid twisted her head, looking at what she and her partner had created. "Oh no... no... no… You shouldn't ever wear black with color. The color outshines the black and makes you look cheap. What do you say to a jacket?"

Jack turned back to the mirror then looked at the blue droid. "Well, I really preferred the first one I tried…"

The droid swiveled her head back and forth negatively, "Ooh, the Hell's Angel one is a bit much. I am thinking that the shorter one would be better."

Jack let the curvy droid help him into the short black leather jacket. With a few tugs the ex-time agent looked back into the mirror to inspect how it all worked together. He felt a pat on his bum from the happy robot. He gave it a flirty smile over his shoulder.

Jack shrugged to it in front of the mirror.

"See, it's just the right length to showcase your bum and makes you look slim. Truly gorgeous"

Jack still grinning shrugged, "Okay, that works for me, hon."

"Now that we have the outfit we can concentrate on that face." The purple robot scrutinized Jack's face from where it was positioned. The sour droid queried, "Cosmetic surgery: have you ever contemplated it?"

"Cosmetic surgery? Yeah I guess." Jack squinted into the mirror for a moment then turned back around to the duo. "You know firming up the jaw line… taking care of some laugh lines around the eyes… Do you ladies think that's do-able?" Ever the flirt, Jack couldn't resist; since the blue droid was so touchy-feely, he cupped its oversized plastic breasts.

The purple robot turned and in a voice that sent a shiver down the 51st century man's spine said. "Hmm, you need to have a BIT more imagination…" Surprisingly, a part of the droid's arm came off and a whirring of a chainsaw filled the room. "You need to be on the cutting edge… we have to do something completely different."

TBC...


	5. Chapter 4: Wolf Moon Rising

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who . Those are the sole property of the BBC.

Return to Satellite 5 AU: "Bad Wolf", "The Parting of the Ways" and "Born Again".

Note 1: Many thanks for the reviews, alerts and favorites. They all keep me writing.

Chapter Four: Wolf Moon Rising

In the 'Ballroom X' the couples were still standing nervously waiting for the results. The Len-bot was working its way through the contestants finding out what their experience was and current work.

"Rose Tyler, what makes you qualified to be here, and where were you before arriving in 'Ballroom X'?" The Len-bot questioned in the same expressionless fashion.

Rose was floored by the direct question even though she had witnessed eight other people answer the same thing. "Well... um... the thing is I don't think I'm really qualified since my dance experience was junior high gymnastics and going to clubs. And I've been travelling for the past year.

Rick winced over his partner's response. He began thinking of ways to do damage control when it was his turn.

Len-bot did not move on, "So your saying that you are untrained and unemployed."

Rose felt her cheeks warming at the robot's blunt words. "Well. Yeah. I guess but…"

The Len-bot seemed to lean forward as if to insert itself into Rose's space. "Well. Then you are an untrained dancer who is unemployed. Who still has enough money to gallivant around without a care."

Rose's cheeks heated further in embarrassment. Unbidden, Rose could feel tears welling up. Not wanting the stupid robot to see that it had upset her, Rose fought the urge to cry. The robot's comments made it sound as if she was some sort of trollop, like she'd travel with any old bloke as long as they could pay. Rose had been so long in her own thoughts that the others had finished as the loud programmed music pulled her back to the present nightmare.

"Now it's time for the tallies." A giant screen came down next to the robot. Pictures of the couples appeared and beside each were a set of numbers. "As everyone can see these two figures from the viewers, whether out about or on the telly at home, need to be added before a clear determination can be made." At these words the screen flashed and the pictures rearranged according to the now fully tallied votes. The most popular was on the top while the least shifted to the bottom.

There was an almost hysterical sobbing coming from Team Fitch. The woman was rambling in a begging manner both to her partner and then to the couples nearest to them. "Oh, please. We can do better, please." The poor woman was inconsolable and the other couples had moved further away from the doomed pair.

Team Eden's only reaction was a sharp gasp and a barely audible whimper. The pair were holding each as if they would never see each other again.

Len-bot gestured over to a corner that Rose hadn't noticed before, where a large cylinder was now lit. Rose assumed it would take them home. "It is time to say farewell." The robot's male voice was oddly cheerful about the matter.

Team Eden stoically clutched each other tightly as they slowly walked over to the device. Team Fitch's male seemed to be dragging his partner; the thin man had the woman secure to his side but the female dancer's feet scraped across the floor. Rose felt a wave of trepidation as well as queasiness that had nothing to do with what she'd been feeling since she'd arrived.

The blonde now heard a few other couples, like Team Broff, sobbing and not looking as the four approached the machine. Rose looked from the Len-bot to the other contestants then once again on those who were voted off.

Team Eden entered the cylinder. The couple stood next to each other but still held hands and a yellowish-gold beam of light struck them from above. After only a second the light was gone and so were the Eden team with the exception of two small piles of ash. The female of team Fitch screamed and pulled away from her partner running away from the device. "No don't!" the man shouted.

The Len-bot's jaw unhinged and opened wide and its voice echoed, "you have been eliminated!" The barrel of the gun which had been exposed went off. A yellowish-gold laser beam flashed and hit the female directly in her retreating back: a pile smoking ash fell to the floor.

Rose stood with the others in shock. Her minded was trying to process what she had just witnessed. She noticed that the male from Team Fitch voluntarily walked into the death chamber. The blonde wanted to shout, to run over and pull the man away from the vile machine, but that all too human sense of self-preservation kept her from moving. But she didn't have to watch as the poor man died for other humans' entertainment.

The same man with the transparent board from before strolled out. "All right we're shifting to the adverts. We'll be back in three minutes… Okay, someone take care of that." He called out, carelessly gesturing to the ash pile on the ballroom floor.

Rose looked at Rick still trying to connect the pieces. "Um… What… What was all that?"

Her partner was hard-faced "They were unpopular. They're disintegrated."

Rose wanted it to all to be a joke, but, by look on her reluctant partner's face, it wasn't encouraging. The blonde woman couldn't contain a kind of keening sound that emerged at the realization. Rick gave her a shake, "Blasted away, and if you don't want to go the same way you better listen to me."

Rose was suppressing the need to vomit again, and Rick's efforts were not helping. She was also angry. Not only was she in an idiotic reality show where she was stuck with an arrogant arse, but they killed people for just being unpopular. "I'm not a dancer. And, God, this whole thing is sick!" Rose shouted at Rick.

Everyone heard her in the quiet of the studio, and not only were the contestants looking at them but the floor manager, the techs and the cleaning staff. Rose didn't care; she was going to make her point. "That's right. You're all sick, you are. And I'm not…" Her words were cut off by her pretty boy partner. "Don't listen to her. She just started her monthly."

Rose's muffled arguments were ignored. Rick dragged Rose off away from everyone. He didn't remove his hand from her mouth, "Now, listen here you stupid cow. There are only two ways out of this studio. One you just saw. Do you really want to die? Or we win and you can be alive and go find you Doctor bloke." He pulled his hand away from her face.

Rose swallowed back bile and glared at her dance partner. "I really don't have a choice do I?" Tears once more wanted to fall, but as before the blonde woman was able to hold them back. She looked over to the remaining couples. It was one of those no win situations that both she and the Doctor hated. Neither scenario was good, but she would continue to play the game and pray that the Doctor would be able to get out from where he was put and come find her.

Rick's breath wafted warm and menacing into her ear. "Well?"

Dread filled Rose. "I... don't want to die." At least not without being able to say goodbye to those she loved. Rose very much wanted to see the Doctor one more time.

* * *

There was a gathering on the sofa in the 'Big Brother House', which was missing one of the newest occupants. Lynda, Strood and Crosbie were sitting in front of the TV waiting, for it was about time for the announcement of next house mate to leave.

The bubbly blonde looked over at the Doctor who was still busily trying to find a way to get out. While Lynda admired his doggedness everyone still needed to follow the rules. "Um… Doctor. We were all called to the sofa. It's a part of the rules that you follow the robot's orders."

The Doctor barely gave the woman a glance as he ran his sonic screwdriver over the fake doors. The device whirring as it worked away. "Sorry, a bit busy trying to escape, thanks."

Lynda didn't want to burst his bubble but she also didn't want to be punished. "Doctor, please. If you don't join us, we'll all be punished for not obeying."

Sighing, he shut off the sonic screwdriver. The Doctor was unhappy, but he wasn't going let these humans be punished just because they happened to end up with him. He joined the three on the sofa. "Then I hope I'm the next to be voted out."

The brown short-haired man named Strood scoffed at the Doctor words. "You're really that stupid? You're not eligible. You just got here."

Even though Lynda had only just met the man, she had come to realize that he was very smart and he was the reckless sort. The blonde gave the Doctor a stern look before warning him. "Just don't do anything clever, or it's not just you who'll get it."

"This is the Davina Droid. Contestants of the Big Brother House," the three grabbed and held each other's hands, Crosbie pulled the Doctor into the group waiting; the Time Lord couldn't hide his contempt. "Now Crosbie, Lynda and Strood, at this point each of you have been selected for eviction."

The tension emanating from the three housemates was pouring off them in waves. The Doctor had little difficulty blocking their emotions but was finding it a bit odd that these humans were giving off both anxiety and terror. He would have expected at least a little anticipation but there wasn't any. "And the eighth person to be evicted from the Big Brother House is..." The droids voice trailed off giving the moment an air of suspense.

The Doctor was bored, and he was all out of patience with the whole thing. He needed to find Rose and Jack not to mention that when he got too close to the three his body had an adverse reaction.

The Davina Droid's voice came back announcing, "…Crosbie!"

The black woman gasped, opening her brown eyes in shock. Strood and Lynda pulled the distraught Crosbie into a group hug offering what comfort they could, though the two hid the relief they felt at not being chosen. Lynda was quick to express guilt, "Oh, I'm sorry! Crosbie… Sorry!" The blonde pigtailed woman's voice was edged with tearful sadness about the other's unfortunate selection.

Strood's arm around Crosbie squeezed in sympathy as he voiced his own remorse, "Oh, Crosbie love… I'm so sorry. It's not fair…it should've been me."

The Doctor lounged back from the grieving trio, with his hands behind his head. He pondered why the three humans were so upset; it didn't make any sense. At that moment he breathed a small sigh as the stomach churning which he'd experience for most of his time there settled.

The same electronic female voice spoke once again, "It is time to make you farewells, Crosbie. You have ten seconds with to do so. Then it's off you go!"

The three quickly leaped off the sofa. The Doctor watched as they all rushed to the door. He shook his head still not understanding the overly emotional humans. The woman was just going back to earth.

Lynda proceeded to give Crosbie a hug, "I'm so sorry. I won't forget you, Crosbie."

Crosbie's voice was slightly muffled, "Lynda, forgive me. It was me who stole your soap."

Lynda gave a shaky laugh, "That's all right. I don't mind."

Strood moved in, taking Crosbie by the shoulders, "Thanks for all the cooking you did. You're an excellent cook." He leaned in and kissed the woman's cheek and hugged her tight, whispering in her ear, "Bless you."

The white door slide open, inside was a small, narrow, gleaming white corridor that had another door at the other end. The constant music was punctuated by the Davina Droids emotionless voice, "Crosbie, it is now time to leave the 'Big Brother House'." The dark haired woman swallowed and stared fearfully at the sterile room.

Crosbie was scared. She looked to Lynda and Strood, not wanting to go, but she'd rather leave on her own. She wouldn't go looking like a coward. "Well this is goodbye then… bye Lynda, Strood."

Lynda held back tears, not wanting Crosbie to feel worse, and in a small voice said, "Bye…"

Lynda and Strood, catching the others eye, made an archway with their arms like those ones from the old times for soldiers; Crosbie walked underneath. The Doctor looked on in disbelief for the dramatics of it all. The two took a moment and waved to Crosbie. The brave woman waved back until the door slid shut.

Lynda sniffed back tears, "I can't believe it… Crosbie… poor Crosbie..."

The Doctor couldn't take it anymore, "This is just a game show, she can make a fortune outside: telling her story on morning shows, writing a tell-all book. She'll be rolling money… she'll have right good old time!"

Strood comforted Lynda as best he could. From her position the blonde woman stared at the Doctor like he was daft. "What you on about? The outside?" Lynda was really starting to wonder about the man called the Doctor.

Inside the white room corridor Crosbie stood, waiting trembling for she knew what was about to happen and thoughts of her family and friends back on earth kept flashing in her mind. She just hoped that those she was closest to weren't watching.

The television turned on. They also were able to see Crosbie's last moments at the 'Big Brother House'. Strood hurried over to watch, "Here we go..."

Lynda was right behind the brown haired man, perching herself on the opposite side of the Doctor. She sat forward nervously watching Crosbie on the screen.

The Doctor for his part went back to lounging, his head resting on his arms, one long leg rest on the other at the ankle. The waiting was taking far too long for the Doctor. They were just watching Crosbie standing in the white room. It was all quite boring really, though Lynda and Strood watched the woman as if her life was in peril.

"So, what're we waiting for?" The Doctor asked annoyed at the whole process. "They should just let her go already."

I"Will you stop it? it's really not funny," said Lynda on the verge of tears. The blonde woman turned back to the TV, trying to ignore how the Doctor's carefree attitude also upset her.

The Doctor was surprised by Lynda's outburst, he stared at the blonde woman uncomprehending.

"Eviction in... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1!" The Davina Droid's voice sounded almost gleeful at the end of the count down.

The white room filled with an electric gold bolt of light hitting Crosbie a couple of seconds then the woman was gone and smoke filled the air as the housemate was disintegrated. The House was filled with overwhelming sadness as Lynda and Strood continued to stare at the TV screen.

The Doctor sat forward stunned by what had just happen. "What the bloody hell was that?"

"A disintegrator beam," said Strood staring blankly at the screen with sad brown eyes.

The Doctor looked at Strood and Lynda, trying to grasp what was going on. The two returned the Doctor's look, not understanding why the man didn't know about the rules of the game.

"Crosbie been evicted… from life" said Lynda in a small voice. She was just realizing that the Doctor had no clue as to what he was in for being in the 'Big Brother House.'

TBC…


	6. Chapter 5: Wolf Moon Rising

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who . Those are the sole property of the BBC.

Return to Satellite 5 AU: "Bad Wolf", "The Parting of the Ways" and "Born Again".

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who . Those are the sole property of the BBC.

Return to Satellite 5 AU: "Bad Wolf", "The Parting of the Ways" and "Born Again".

Chapter Five: Wolf Moon Rising

The game station turned tranquilly above the earth. On the five hundredth floor both a male and female techs walked away from the busy hub of the main room. They went down a dark corridor still discussing the problem.

The brown-haired man continued trying to make his case, "I tell you it's like all the stories that have been whispered about: people being transmatted but with no record of there being any selected."

"You're not going to start that up again? You are in serious need of taking off a session," the Indic woman scoffed as she leaned back against the wall. She then softened the scolding by smiling.

Flirting, he smiled back, "I will if you will... preferably with me."

She looked at him, stifling a laugh, "Are you going to go on about that, too?"

He grinned even wider at her. "Oh come on, the stories have been around for decades. You know them as well as me, that everyone says there is… well something hidden. It's right under the all the transmissions," the man tried a different approach.

The female tech just shook her head. "Really now, the Controller would know. She sees it all." She gave her companion a sidelong glance.

He eyed her back with an unrelenting expression. "She could have blind spots. All things have a degree of human error involved."

The woman pushed away from the wall grinning, stepping up to the man, "Now you see that's the real question." She leaned into him and whisper conspiratorially into his ear, "because I doubt she's been human for years.

They stood at one end of a long corridor smiling at each other, as their gazes shifted to the other end. At the end of the expanse was the Controller: a deathly pale woman with wires connecting her to the large main computer and being held in place by those same devices. She was muttering, unaware of those around for she saw all that went on digitally... everything that went through the systems. Her knowledge far surpassed those of techs that scrambled about doing the everyday mundane work. She knew the bigger picture. For their benefit she didn't let on by continuing to act as always, muttering out, "eighteen... nineteen... twenty... twenty-one... twenty-two... twenty-three... transmit."

* * *

The Doctor stormed around the house, anger in every step. Barely contained energy streamed off him as he rounded on Lynda and Strood as they continued to sit on the sofa. "What is it with you lot? Has humanity gone barmy? That you happily step right into death? Has it really become more important to get your five minutes of fame? You do know that dying isn't all it's cracked up to be?"

Lynda stood, upset and defensive, "Doctor, stop. You're talking like it's our decision to be here. If I'd had a choice, do you really think I'd be here?"

"What about applying? I'm pretty sure you still have to do that?" A look of confusion once again fell over the Time Lord's face. The whole thing was messed up; he knew that most humans looked for fame, but your average one just usually went on with plain boring lives going to work, sleep, and not caring about much else in their tiny scope.

From the sofa Strood made a derisive sound, "wasn't that how they played it in the Twenty-First Century? That's the old rules. Where have you been?" The brown-haired man eyed the Doctor as if he was a different species, which in fact he was.

Lynda let weeks of being locked away from family and friends leak into her voice and took her pent-up frustration out on the Doctor. "It's all random. The contestants are scooped up by the transmat beam. Any person on Earth could be next. It's an ongoing system with sixty 'Big Brother' houses on the air continuously going. That doesn't include the other games."

"Did you say sixty?" The Doctor stared at Lynda in shock.

Strood sat dejectedly on the sofa, not looking up. "There used to be more, but they had to cut back." The brown-haired man sighed in a nostalgic way, missing the old days.

"This place is an ossuary! The winners, what do they get?" The Doctor's voice rose in anger as he glared down at Strood. That damn feeling in his stomach was back and he forced himself to focus on the present situation.

Lynda perked up once more, answering the Doctor's question. "They leave the house alive."

"Really, leaving here still alive… that's all?" The Doctor was incredulous at the blithe way these two humans were acting: like it was normal to be taken from your home, thrust into a game where you can expect to die and with the only benefit life.

The blonde woman demanded to know, "what else is there?!"

The Doctor's blue eyes gazed intently at her; Lynda could almost see the mass of thoughts running through the man's mind for the few seconds. He snapped out of it and strode back over to the door. "Damn it. Rose is somewhere in one of the games. She was taken by that transmat beam as well. It's past time that I got out of here."

The viewing numbers for that Big Brother House went up another five percent. The dark brooding man that didn't seem to have a clue and that made it all very interesting. The camera kept zeroing in on him as he rampaged around the room.

The Doctor didn't like feeling trapped, especially when he knew that one of his companions was in trouble. He really didn't worry too much about Jack; he was a resourceful man from the Fifty-First Century. Granted Jack wasn't as good as himself, but who was? Rose was another matter entirely. She was compassionate and lively; she tried to act tough but the blonde from the Powell Estates was soft, which was fine for the Doctor. He had needed that after the war, but he never wanted to put her life in that kind of danger. "That Linda with an I… what did she do again to get evicted?"

Lynda looked warily at the Doctor, not sure what the man was about to do. "She um… deliberately broke things..."

"Oh you mean by doing this?" The Doctor asked pointing his sonic screwdriver directly at the camera, making the wires spark and the machine smoke. There was no longer any picture coming from that camera. The viewers at home were sitting at the edge of their seats as the imaged shifted to another angle. The man still stood arm raised pointing the odd looking device at the damaged 'Big Brother' camera.

* * *

Rose was so sick her face was deathly pale, and a cold sweat made that paleness glow like the moon in the ballroom lights. She had to remind herself over and over again to smile. At least with the Jive, she didn't have to come into full contact with Rick.

Rose knew the only reason she felt as bad at that moment was because of the last round when they'd had to perform the Rumba. It took everything Rose had not to pass out. Whatever was ailing her, the blonde woman assumed that it all had to do with Rick the wanker. Rose didn't know precisely what about him had her feeling that way, but every time they were apart the symptoms would ease, and longer they stayed that way, the more Rose would feel better. It was probably some alien cologne or something in the laundry detergent.

So even though the Jive was fast paced, there were lots of twists and spins, none of which made it any easier on Rose. The blonde was happy to hear the music starting to wind down. Before she could process what was going to happen, Rick had her flipping over his arm. She landed a little clumsily and he was spinning her out and back into him. It all ended in a dip, which Rose was grateful for as the ballroom seemed to be spinning. Then there was that ever present annoying voice in her ear, "Don't you dare pass out."

Rose just managed to smile and bow before Rick pulled her off. She stumbled and for better or worse Rick caught her before she fell. The blonde was now suspecting that she would have to win and go save the Doctor and Jack. She knew that the Doctor cut things close, but Rose was positive that if he knew how dangerous it was, he wouldn't wait for the last minute. The fact was he could be in more trouble than herself, meaning the daft Time Lord need her. He was constantly telling her not to wander off; well that certain didn't work for circumstances such as these.

Once they reached their little practice alcove, Rick let go of Rose. She just barely caught herself from falling to the floor. Rose glared at the man but said nothing. She carefully went to the provided water and wished they'd also had a chair. Her feet and legs were tired, dancing wasn't one of her normal activities.

"Are you trying to get us to lose?" Rick's angry voice drifted over to her.

Rose choked on the water she'd been about to swallow. "Are you joking? Me? You're the one putting in steps that we haven't even practiced."

"It doesn't matter if we practiced them. I told you to follow my lead," the man snapped back at his partner.

Rose closed her eyes wishing, praying and hoping that when she opened them and that it would all be a nightmare... and that she was back on the TARDIS with the Doctor and Jack. Slowly opening brown eyes, Rose was disheartened to see that nothing had changed. "Well, maybe the next one will be easier."

Rick stepped forward with an expression on his face that said he might just hit her. Rose stepped back, not liking her dance partner's black look; she would have preferred the Doctor's anger any day. "We'll be so lucky not to be kicked off. Would you like that? I'm not the only one on the chopping block missy."

"Stop it. It's not like I'm the one who brought you here. I'm doing my best." Rose let her anger get the better of her. She so wanted to slap the man silly, but she didn't want to antagonize him more. Especially, with the third round almost finished.

"Just so you know… if we get eliminated it's all your fault." Rick spat as he walked away.

Rose stood shaking with anger and fear, 'Doctor, where are you?' She didn't know how much more she could take.

TBC…


	7. Chapter 6: Wolf Moon Rising

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who. Those are the sole property of the BBC.

Return to Satellite 5 AU: "Bad Wolf", "The Parting of the Ways" and "Born Again".

Chapter Six: Wolf Moon Rising

Jack couldn't help but have fun with the two robots which he'd finally got the names to. Zu-Zana was the blue one with the anime eyes and large plastic breast; Trin-E was the other purple pen shape head and difficult personality.

They'd had him change again though it appeared they were trying out the preppy look with tennis shirt, shorts, shoes and even a tennis racket. The ex-time agent tossed the racket back and forth between his hands and a few experimental swings watching himself in the wall mirror.

Jack stopped moving and looked over at robots with an expression of skepticism, "I'm not sure about this outfit. It's not really me. A little too clean cut and pretentious."

Zu-Zana ignored Jack's comment turned to look at the handsome 51st century man. "It's now time for _stage two_! You ready."

Jack stood straight with a disarming smile on his face. "Show me what you got _girls_!"

Once again, the Defabrictor beam reduced Jack to bare skin. The blue eyed man use to the effect was unfazed and looked eager to go into the next part of the process.

The green droid Trin-E's voice was filled with programed glee. "It's face-off time!"

Jack bounced once enthusiastically not comprehending the two droids intent. "So I have to compete with someone else now?" The brown haired man was a bit puzzled as what he could recall about 20th to 21st century reality television shows, most were games but not all. Jack was quite sure that this particular one wasn't about winning prizes.

"No, I mean exactly that… face… off!" The Trin-E droids vocal modulator sounded too cheerful for the ex-con man. Jack let none of his emotions show, as the droid turned towards him, the one arm had instead of a hand was chain saw the other hand the fingertips were replaced by needles.

Zu-Zana had also modified an arm into a very large pair of scissors which she opened and closed as if testing there sharpness. The blue droid analyzed the naked man before it and in an excited synthesized voice, "What about a wolf's head. I think you would look marvelous with one of those." It snipped the scissors as if enforce the idea.  
"Oh, here's a thought no head. What a spectacular fashion statement that would be." Trin-E was practically crowing over her own engineered thoughts.

Zu-Zana continued to expand on how to make Jack physical more attractive by dismemberment. "Yes, that would be good. His torso is nice but it could be better. Hmm… his legs, they'd be quite brilliant there right in the middle." The blue droid was close to vibrating with anticipation.  
Jack just stood with a raised eyebrow as the two female robots planned on removing his body parts and attaching or reattaching as the case called for animal parts and his own. As intriguing as that all was he was positive that he'd rather stay with everything exactly where it was.

"Fashion is for the radicals, for being bold and over the top. Creations that people are dying to have." The purple droid glided closer the saw buzzed louder as Trin-E gestured with it.

"Whoa, wait a minute ladies. We were having such a good time don't make me have to shoot you." Jack warned in a light hearted manner, his hands folded behind him.

Trin-E hummed lightly as its processor ran the human's unusual request. "You have no weapon!"

"But you're nude! Why are your hands behind your back?" Zu-Zana exclaimed at the same time in a confused tone.

Jack grinned like a mischievous boy who had a secret. "Well you got me." He said at the same moment he swung said arms back into sight. In his hand he gripped a small gun which he aimed at the duo.

Zu-Zana computer mind whirred faster as it tried to adjust to the client's aggressive behavior. "A Compact Laser Deluxe, how did you get that?"

"_Where_ could you have hidden that?!" Trin-E seemed about to bust a gear at the affront he had done, not only smuggling a weapon into the studio and effectively hiding but to drawing point at them was rude. It would not stand for the TV show rules to be broken.

Jack was use to improvising and always being prepared. Being the Doctor's companion notwithstanding, having been a con-man you never knew when plans would go pear shaped. "That's privileged information and on a nee-to-know… and you don't need to know."

Trin-E stalked forward menacing not intimidated by the small gun. "you will hand over that unauthorized accessory…"

The ex-Time agent wasn't one to make ideal threats or wait around while psychotic droids went all Ed Gein, a 20th century serial killer, on him. Jack fired taking off the green droid Trin-E's head, and immediately did the same to Zu-Zana. "Sorry ladies but playtime is over. It's time I go and find the Doctor and Rose."

* * *

Once again, Rose and the other contestants were standing before the Len-bot, at least those who'd made it to the third round. Unfortunately for Team Agorax and Team Broff, they been eliminated in round two, and like Team Fitch there had been one person who hadn't wanted to voluntary walk into the death chamber. Not that it did them any good the robot was an excellent shot.

"And the next to be eliminated is… Team Pando and Team Colleen. Sorry you didn't have what it takes." The Len-bot gestured the two couples towards the transparent chamber.

The two teams slowly walked over, Rose could see tears and panic on their faces. The woman from team Colleen clutched tightly to her partner. They appeared to be holding each other up. Rose couldn't bear to see four more people going to their deaths, just for some idiotic game. She did notice that she wasn't the only one who avoided looking. Rick was staring in her direction which actually ticked her off. He had been only a bit ago telling her it was her fault if they didn't win. He couldn't even watch as the others went in their place because as far as Rose was concern Team Colleen should have remained. They had danced way better than her and Rick. Not that she wanted to die.

Her anger vanished as she heard the terrified crying and whimpering before the disintegrator beam cut those sounds off abruptly. The lights dimmed and the floor manager was there looking at his data pad. "Alright everyone! That's a two minute break starting now."

Rose really couldn't understand how these people could be so insensitive. The anger was back in full force as the blonde woman glared at the man.

The floor manager didn't notice as he tapped away on his transparent pad. "And just remember… there will be a solar flare activity in another ten minutes."

Rose turned her attention back over to Rick as he pulled her into the direction of their alcove. The blonde couldn't stand it, she tore her wrist out of the man's grasp. "You don't need to lead me around like a dog."

Rick shrugged not bothering to face her. His attitude was exceedingly irritating at first he was in her space, bossy and threatening, and now it was like he didn't seem to give a damn. "What's with you? You got what you wanted? It's just us and Team Lovrick in the finals."

Rick finally turned to her his eyes wary. "That's the problem. We would have been better off if Team Pando were the ones we had to go against. The only good thing is that we'll be the last to go. But then again beating them will most definitely prove that I can teach anyone and deserve to win the contract from the Bad Wolf Corporation."

Rose scowled at the man's explanation but froze stunned at the last part. "Bad Wolf, Who are they?"

Rick looked at his partner as if she had two heads. "They are biggest corporation ever. They own and operate the whole Game Station for about hundred years."

"But really. Why Bad Wolf? Why would a corporation use that for a name?" asked Rose feeling that it was one coincidence to many.

The dancer looked baffled by the blonde woman's questions. "It's from some old Earth nursery rhyme. Big company like that can have any name they want."

"Yeah, but Bad Wolf? It's like those words have been following the Doctor and I around everywhere." Rose murmured pensively as her mind went through all the places that she'd either seen or heard those two words.

In 1869, Cardiff in the cleaning nook with the maid Gwyneth rambling about things that she couldn't possible known. "Oh miss but you've seen the darkness… The Big Bad Wolf…" The poor maid had uttered those words before cutting herself off from fright.

There was 2012, Utah in the underground base. It had come over the PA system, "Personnel… Bad Wolf One incoming." Rose realized now that had been the slime Van Statten arriving. And at the town hall in Cardiff again where the Doctor had translated Margaret the Slitheen's nuclear project name of Blaidd Drwg. Even at the Powell Estate it was graffiti'd on everything including the TARDIS. She also remembered hearing it before on that very Station when it had been all about news. There had been an announcement that the Face of Boe had been pregnant with a Boemina, on the Bad Wolf Channel.

Rose stood shaken, the blood drain from her face. There were even more incidences but what did it all mean. "Bad Wolf, it's been written across time and the universe."

"Rose Tyler you need to get yourself together. What's it really matter that a couple of common words have been around in your travels. I don't need you going nutters now." Rick's harsh words were meant to snap the blonde woman back into reality. Rick didn't dare shaking Rose, since he'd figured out that for some bizarre reason the stupid cow got sick every time he touched her and the last round of the game was coming up he need her to be fit.

Rose however was still contemplating the meaning of those two words. 'They had to been there for a specific purpose.' The former shop girl's face transformed from puzzlement to dawning horror. "My being here wasn't a mistake. It's like somebody's guiding or arranging us, like chess pieces, this whole time."

TBC…


	8. Chapter 7: Wolf Moon Rising

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who . Those are the sole property of the BBC.

Return to Satellite 5 AU: "Bad Wolf", "The Parting of the Ways" and "Born Again".

note: Not been betad'.

Chapter Seven: Wolf Moon Rising

The eye with the rotating galaxy behind seemed to pulse with menace. The female voice of the Big Brother house resounded throughout the area that the Doctor, Strood and Lynda sat. "The house rules were broken by the Doctor."

The three listened intently from their position on the sofa. The Doctor was on the edge of the sofa cushion eager to hear what should be the rendering of him getting the boot. It would be noticed that they needed to evict him otherwise it would invalidate the game, but on the other side whoever it was that had brought him there wouldn't kill him. Well that was unless that was the point. The Doctor however didn't think it was though.

"You left the Big Brother House no choice you are being evicted." The computerized voice gave off the inflection of glee at the pronouncement.

The Doctor was equally elated at the words. He jumped up from the sofa, a manic smile on his face, with an arm raised in triumph.

The Big Brother computer continued in its enthusiastic cheer. "Make you farewells in ten seconds, or we'll get you."

The Doctor without any hesitation ran for the door that would either kill him or ultimately prove that the game was rigged since he'd showed up. "That's it. Come on let's get this show on the road."

Lynda was right behind the leather clad man, in an obvious state of distress. "Doctor, what are you doin'? Have you gone _barkin'_? Dying isn't going to _solve_ anything!"

The brown haired Strood was unimpressed by the proceedings. From his position sitting on the back of the sofa he afford up his thoughts. "He's a mole. I just knew it. They dropped him in here to liven things up!"

The Doctor barely waited for the white door slide completely open before rushing in. Now it was the Doctor who was surrounded by narrow white room. At the end was another door which was obviously sealed as none of the other contestants had been able to escape.

The computer was unaware of the fact that the Doctor was already in the narrow corridor where the disintegrator was. "The Doctor, depart the Big Brother house hold."

Strood turned his attention back to the screen to watch. He couldn't believe what an idiot the other man was. The blue eyed man really thought that he wouldn't be killed just like the rest. The shagging haired man shook his head in incredulity.

Lynda stayed not wanting to leave the Doctor to his fate. The door slide closed she anxiously watched until she couldn't see the leather clad man. Sighing in misery as it sealed shut, she quickly returned to the sofa and so as to watch TV.

The Doctor couldn't help the impatient; he was done with the whole Big Brother game show. He needed to be out looking for his friends. It also seemed to help with the sick he'd been feeling since he'd arrived. "What's the hold up? You goin' to disintegrate me or what?!" He looked up at the disintegrator and he jumped little expectantly. "Come on."

Lynda bit nervously into her thumb nail as she watched in dumbfound disbelief. "He really is starkers. He's totally gone starkers he has."

* * *

Up on the five hundredth floor, the two tech's watched with confusion, at the Doctor's, off the wall antics. The blue eyed man was looking right at the camera; the tin sound of his voice came over the male tech's earpiece. "What's the hold up? Disintegrate me!"

The Hindi woman had rushed back to the brown haired man when he looked a little panicked. She'd only just managed to quell a minor drama at the 'What Not to Wear' section. The techs had been hysterically, apparently a man had been able to smuggle a small laser gun onto the station and after beheading the robot hostess's he escaped out into the unused portions of the Game Station. She had to reassure the flamboyant tech's that security would find the delinquent contestant. "Bloody hell, I'm very sure, I didn't tell you to _kill_ him! You were only supposed to watch him."

The male tech took the chiding in his stride as he continued to watch the spectacle on his screen. "Well it's not like I deliberately set him up. He's the one that zapped the main camera. That's an automatic expulsion."

* * *

In the white corridor, the Doctor stood with his arms folded, he rocked back on his heels and falling back. He grinned foolishly looking up at the disintegrator, waiting for the inevitable failure of the games programming.

"The Doctor being evicted in five… four… three… two… one…" The female computer voice trailed off.

Lynda shut her eyes and covered them with trembling hands. The whine of the power shutting off was the first clue that nothing happened. There wasn't the normal feel of the air being energized by the disintegrator beam.

"Ha! Haha!" The Doctor gave out a hearty laugh.

Lynda opened her eyes peeking around her fingers in surprise. On the screen the Doctor was still standing there. There wasn't any smoke or a pile of ash.

The Doctor couldn't help reveling in the fact that those who were running the Game Station didn't want to kill him. "_Whoever_ you are that brought me here, I knew it wasn't just to try and kill me. If you'd want that it would have been easier to just transmat me into a volcano or a cenote!"

* * *

The female looked at the man with bewilderment. "Um… Did you do that?"

"That wasn't me!" said the brown haired man in equal amount of disbelieve.

On the monitor, the Doctor looked right into the camera. "Somebody out there wants me alive..."

The male tech ignored the blue eyed man on the screen as he tapped out on his keyboard. "Somehow the game was overridden."

"Let's see, I'm a genius, me. So it stands to reason that the door at this end wouldn't be a secure. It's not like anybody would normally make it out being of disintegrated." The Doctor continued to talk as he examined the door, he looked back up giving the camera mocking grin. "Everyone following? This is the part where I escape!"

* * *

The Doctor couldn't believe how simple the mechanism really was compared to the ones inside the Big Brother House. He pointed the sonic screwdriver which whirred and the blue tip brightened, the lock clicked open and the door swung open. The Doctor looked over as the door behind him also opened. Lynda's head popped out her eyes were wide as she absorbed the further proof that the mad man was still alive.

The Doctor looked at the woman, in her own way actually reminded him of his assistant Jo Grant, who had been his companion while in his third incarnation. "Why don't you come with?"

Lynda was unsure what to do, she looked back at Strood. He was kneeling on the sofa and couldn't believe that the blonde woman was even thinking about leaving the house. "It's against the rules. It not allowed!"

"Lynda, think about it you have a fifty-fifty chance if you stay. Come with me and I can promise you'll make out of here alive." The Doctor reached out to her with one calloused hand.

Lynda bit her lip nervously looking at the Doctor's out stretched hand. "I… I don't… I can't..." She stuttered.

The Doctor looked at the blonde haired woman in sympathy, "Lynda, you really are cute. But in this world you live in do you think being cute, will get you the votes?"

Lynda still stared at the Doctor for a moment he was still waiting. The blonde quickly realized that the man was right, with only mild in-trepidation she grab that hand. It was like touching a live wire as he pulled her the rest of the way through the corridor and they went out the next door to freedom.

* * *

After going through the door, they find themselves on Floor 56 of Satellite Five. The Doctor looked around the large dark area that held supplies for the game rooms, and the feel of the atmosphere changed as his time senses finally gave him the answers that had been obscured in the Big Brother House. "Wait minute… This isn't the first time I've been here. This is… I'm on Satellite Five!"

The Doctor and Lynda walked down the exterior of the game rooms until the blue eyed spotted a door that didn't appear to apart of the shows still broadcasting. He opened the door to the room with just the right setting from his sonic screwdriver. They stepped through into small computer room. Lynda just stood watching as the Doctor scanned the equipment with his sonic screwdriver which whirred each time he passed it over another section.

"So I wonder were the guards are? I mean you'd expect a big business such as Satellite Five would be crawling with them. Though it's a nice change not to have a gun pointed at me face." The Doctor rambled as tried to ease the alarm that began to spread at each new difference in the timeline. He left the room not paying Lynda any attention as he tested the closed off walls sections and the blue glowing hand scanner and the other nearby doors with his sonic screwdriver.

"What are you on about, nobody's called this place Satellite Five in forever not for like a hundred years. It's just the Game Station." Lynda gazed at the Doctor in amazement still not used to his strange ways as she followed him.

The Doctor looked down to check his watch. "Hmm… Exactly hundred years, two zero-zero, one zero-zero. I had been here before on floor one hundred thirty-nine. At that time it had been broadcasting news channels. They'd had some trouble at the top, nothing too bad. Simple really… me and Rose helped them out… and were home in time for tea and biscuits."

"Right… you did that hundred years ago?" Lynda smiled incredulously not yet convinced that the man she put her trust in wasn't just completely mad.

The Doctor went on to another of the touch-sensitive pads trying to open the door; it gave no response even with a bit of prodding with the sonic. The lock remained it was starting to frustrate the Doctor.

Lynda looked at the Doctor and hesitantly spoke, "You're saying that you were on the Game Station back a hundred years ago?"

The Doctor had moved on again checking the edges around another door with his sonic screwdriver causing it light in the blue light and the sound gave that same pleasant whirring sound. Grinning, the Doctor absently answered. "Oh, yeah!"

"Oh… well you're looking great actually…" Lynda realized that the Doctor wasn't joking.

The Doctor turned finally giving the young woman his attention. "I moisturize."

The Doctor looked back down at his sonic screwdriver with a perplexed expression on his face. "These readings are funny. This place is brimming with all kinds of energy. It's practical bursting with it. That's very odd. This is going way past the needs of regular transmissions. Now, why would anyone need that power for?" The dark haired man quickly went on to another door.

"I dunno. It's just that since that one time when that one Big Brother Five hundred and four had walked. I think we're the only other contestants to ever leave without you know." Lynda made a gesture with her hand miming the zapping of the disintegrator.

The Doctor listened but continued in his search of the area around them. "My two friends they'd gotten transmated with me. Do you have any idea where in this station they would be?" That uneasy feeling was still nagging at him, he wasn't so worried about Jack but Rose she was just a little too jeopardy-friendly.

"There's like a hundred different games. I have no idea where they could be." The blonde woman wrung her hands at how she wasn't being much help to the Doctor.

That caught the Doctor's full attention it wasn't as many as the news channels had been but still a hundred different games. Meaning hundreds if not more human-beings killed. "So what types of games are there?"

Lynda stood thinking about the Doctor's question. "Well, 'Big Brother' is on ten floors. There's a different House behind each of those doors. And well, there is a lot shows all kinds really. The station goes non-stop. There's um... 'Call My Bluff'... with real guns... 'Countdown', where you've got thirty seconds to stop the bomb going off... 'Ground Force', which is a nasty one... you get turned into compost. Erm... 'Wipeout', speaks for itself... um. And 'Stars In Their Eyes'. Literally, stars in their eyes. If you don't sing, you get blinded… oh! The one nobody want's to get put into is 'The Weakest Link'."

The blue eyed man stared at Lynda in horrified wonder. "Cute little Lynda don't tell you watch this stuff?"

"Oh come on everyone does. How is it that you've never seen them?" The blonde pigtailed woman shrugged.

"That's easy I never paid for a license." The Doctor said nonchalantly.

Lynda looked at the dark haired man in shock. "Oh, my Lord! Doctor, you get put to death for that!"

The Doctor smirked and held up his sonic screwdriver. "We'll see about that."

"Who are you, Doctor? I just don't understand the things you keep talking about. They just don't make sense." Lynda once again worried her lip between her teeth as she gazed at the Doctor in puzzlement.

"Doesn't matter." The Doctor walked away trying to avoid the young woman's concern. He scanned the next door in an effort to block the feelings that would get in the away.

Lynda followed right behind him and got into his space. "It matters to me... I've just trusted you. I literally put my life in your hands."

The Doctor felt a wave of what humans called deja-vu, he had the same conversation once upon a time with Rose on Platform One, continued to examine the lock. "I'm just a wandering traveler; I don't stay in one place long. Believe it or not, all I'm after is a quiet life."

Lynda took in what the leather clad man said. "So... if… when we get out of here, you're gonna wander off again? Without looking back?"

"Yep. Just as fast as I can." The Doctor said unaware of the woman looking at him with sad blue eyes.

"Um… is there any room for me to come with ya?" Lynda asked tentatively. She smiled at him winningly, waiting and hoping for the Doctor's answer.

He looked back at the blonde woman and properly scrutinized her time lines. "Well I suppose you could."

The blue eyed woman smiled brightly at his answer. "You won't have to worry I'm good about not get in the way."

"Lynda with a Y, you getting in the way isn't a problem. There enough room for everyone." The Doctor smiled as the idea of the cute woman could perhaps distract Captain Jack, but did he really want to do that to the poor innocent blonde woman.

Lynda smiled giddily at the Doctor. She couldn't help thinking that he was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

"The thing is we have to get out of here first." The Doctor said briskly getting back using his sonic screwdriver to scan the area. "And do you know how we're going to do that?" He continued to explain as if Lynda had responded. "You have to know your enemy. So who's really controlling the satellite now?"

"Wait a minute..." Lynda ran to the opposite end of the room, she reach up and pulled down a lever. On the wall huge letters light up 'Bad Wolf Corporation' were clear displayed. "They are our Lords and Masters."

The Doctor stared up at the logo in astonishment and bafflement. His apprehension grew inexorably.

TBC…


	9. Chapter 8: Wolf Moon Rising

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who. Those are the sole property of the BBC.

Return to Satellite 5 AU: "Bad Wolf", "The Parting of the Ways" and "Born Again".

Chapter Eight: Wolf Moon Rising

The Games Station previously known at Satellite Five revolved slowly in the vastness of space. The five hundredth floor was bustling with activity; most of the people were busily work at the desk. There were two that stood away from the crowd.

On the screen the two techs could see the marauding contestants roaming about without any deterred. "This is ridiculous, we going to need to enter the records to find out want is wrong." The dark skinned woman sighed.

The brown eyed man looked up huffing he nodded. "Well okay. I'll take this to the Controller. You'll look into the Archive to check on the transmat timetables. Remember that would be Archive Six."

"Gee thanks. I know which one." The female tech said smartly even though she could feel the apprehension filling the air.

The brown haired tech ignored the woman's remark. Pulled off his headphones he shifted straightening trying to gather his courage. He strode deliberately across to the aisle way in front of the Controller. "Ahh… Controller… there seems to be a problem."

A woman with white unseeing eyes stood ramrod straight at the other end covered in wires attached to her head and body. She murmured a stream of numbers before answering. "You need to continue working." Her voice was raw and whispery.

The man swallowed and cleared his throat. "Controller there is a problem with security. It needs to be addressed."

The Controller didn't blink or recognize that the tech hadn't gone back to work. Her body twitched as if becoming aware that the man still continued to protest. "You need to go back to work. Seven… six… five…"

"Truthfully Controller I can't go back to work. Contestants have gotten outside of the games. Security hasn't been notified it's as if the alarms have been turned off." The agitated tech seemed to be pleading with the female in control of the station.

The Controller twitched again. "There will be no security. Everything will continue as normal." Her voice rose still raw.

The male tech smiled in confusion at the woman's amendment refusal to acknowledge there was something wrong. "But Controller… it's not normal. They can't simply be left to wander the station."

"They are unimportant. Continue working." The Controller dismissed the tech's concern.

The man stared even more baffled than before his brow furrowing in his confusion. "Not important. How can you say that? Their out of bounds of the games and running amok in the Station."

The Controller's attention was diverted away from the male tech's concern. The blind woman's body spasmed, and an involuntary gasp escape, in pain as she felt the other technician try to gain entrance to Archive Six. The Hindi woman pulled her hand away in shock at the Controller's obvious distress. "I just need to, erm… Sorry…"

"Archive Six is not available." The Controller trembled trying to compose herself.

The dark skinned woman frowned at the new information. Archive Six had never been unavailable before, but then there hadn't been a need in recent years. "But the transmat logs need reviewing. It's possible something has corrupted the files that need to be repaired." The female tech tried to appeal to the Controller's need to have order.

"No one is to enter Archive Six. It is _not_ available to anyone." The Controller's voice rose to an unnatural level making everyone pause in their work. Though the woman was unable to see her whole body vibrated and her bland expression transformed into terrifying loon, she once again returned to muttering another sequence of numbers. As if sensing that all the workers were still looking at her the pale woman's voice rose again but without the desperation. "Everyone continue to work. Reminder to staff… solar flares are in delta point seven. Fifteen… Sixteen… Seventeen…"

* * *

Smoke still billowed in the studio of 'What Not to Wear', Jack was once again dressed in black leather pants, a white shirt and a black leather vest. The Captain was tinkering with the defabricator. The Compact Laser Deluxe quickly became a part of the machine.

Jack whooped and almost patted himself on the back. "All right systems are in sync… adjusting the wave length signatures… Haha…" The ex-time agent grinned in triumph.

"Great kid! You just made yourself a bigger gun." Jack unhooked the former defabricator admired it for a moment.

He shifted his attention to the headless blue and purple droids. "So ladies, it was a pleasure… Of course it was all mine. Which in a game like this that's the most important thing in the end." Jack gave a brief salute to the smoldering remains before heading out to find his two friends.

Jack looked around on the side of a wall there were large numbers painted, two hundred ninety-nine; he only gave it a passing thought before heading to what looked to him like a lift. Checking it over, the brown haired man deduced it was a genetically coded to open with the blue hand plate. The ex-time agent grinned, he was glad to know that his time with the agency would be of some use. They had trained him for getting around that type of technology which was being used on the Game Station, not that the tech was anywhere near 51st centuries. He placed his hand on the pad and the lift door immediately opened.

He hurried into the lift then studied his vortex manipulator that also doubled as anything else the ex-con man wanted. "All right Doc, where are you? Ha… Two hearts, that's gotta be you or the human biology of this time is off." Jack highly doubted that. He quickly pressed the buttons on the side of the lift. The doors closed to hopefully take him to the Doctor's location.

* * *

Several floors down from Jack, the Doctor and his newest companion Lynda finally managed to find a door that would allow them entrance. Upon entering, they saw the planet through the large viewing window, the sight of a ravaged Earth; it was an ugly sickly grey sphere that had only a bare few areas that had yet to be taken over.

Lynda went straight to the view awed by the sight. "Isn't that a picture! This is the first time I've ever seen the Earth! Well the first from orbit that is."

The Doctor couldn't take his blue eyes off the devastation that the Planet Earth had become. It wasn't supposed to be that way. "Bloody hell, what happened? How did it get this way?"

Lynda looked perplexed at the blue eyed man. "As farther as I know it's always been this way. Do you see that?" The blonde woman extended her arm and pointed a finger at a swirling mass in the planet's atmosphere. "It's the Great Atlantic Smog Storm. I think it's been around for about twenty years. You have to wait for reports to come through to when the outside has breathable air."

"So, you're telling me that all the people on Earth are divided into the haves and the have nots, but the world has to watch the telly no matter what?" The Doctor couldn't hold back the disgust in his voice.

Lynda not knowing the Doctor very well smiled brightly at his complete understanding of the situation. "Yep, transmitting from here are at least ten thousand channels."

The Doctor shook his head at the thought. All of Planet Earth was covered in an atmosphere of decay. "So, the humans have become the prey. Being mentally fatten…" The Doctor's mind flitted to another thought mid-sentence. "You wouldn't happen to know if the program with the three people having to live with a bear was revived?"

The blue eyed woman grinned wider than ever at the Doctor mentioning that show since he seemed to be bordering on darkness she'd only brief glimpse and nothing that could be consider his Oncoming Storm look. "That one's great. It's 'Bear With Me'."

"Yeah, that's a favorite of mine. Do you remember the Celebrity edition you know the one where the bear got into…" The Doctor's voice trailed off and his manic grin also vanished as Lynda finished his sentence. "The bath!" Lynda laughed at the end, not yet realizing that a _storm_ was brewing.

"The thing is Lynda with a Y, all of it is wrong. _History…_ it's all gone wrong. A second time, The Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire is gone. I had put it right that last time." The Doctor frowned in consternation at the discrepancy that had happened again. He just couldn't understand what could have gone so wrong.

Lynda looked at the dark haired man with pity. "That's just it. That is when it all started to go wrong. It was hundred years ago. The news was gone. Overnight it all just shut down."

The Doctor gazed at the blonde woman is bewilderment. "But that was me and Rose, we were here. You're saying that's when all this happened."

"Well there wasn't anything there. All the information was gone. Everything just stopped. Without knowing what was going on… well it all fell apart didn't it. Governments… the economy; it all collapsed. That's when it began really. It's been called the hundred years of hell."

The Doctor stared down at the once beautiful Planet Earth. All it took was hundred years to fall to waste… and it was his fault. "Bloody fantastic…" He closed his tired ancient eyes against the tormenting image. "It was me. I created this." The Time Lord's voice was filled with self-loathing.

TBC…


	10. Chapter 9: Wolf Moon Rising

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who. Those are the sole property of the BBC.

Return to Satellite 5 AU: "Bad Wolf", "The Parting of the Ways" and "Born Again".

Note 1: Many thanks for the reviews, alerts and favorites. They all keep me writing.

Note 2: This chapter has not been betad'.

Chapter Nine: Wolf Moon Rising

The Len-bot turned and in modulated synthesized British tone addressed the remaining couples. "Now for the finale, both couples will be dancing the same style." The rectangle monitor began scrolling for the last time through the dance names. The flashing lights slowed before coming to a stop on the _Samba_.

"Well ladies and gentlemen it appears that you are in for a bit of frivolity." The droid's arms gestured out to encompass the four people. "Before you go to put choreography together and practice there's been a change to the manner in which the dancing will be displayed."

Rose looked over to her partner not sure what the robot was on about. She was surprised to see that normally arrogant man was pale of face and fidgeting in place. His eyes were wide and Rose silently was disturbed that whatever the change was it seemed to put Rick in a downward spiral.

"You'll be doing a dance duel. You are allotted fifteen minutes to change costumes and then an additional ten minutes to come up with a routine and practice." The droid's cheerfulness set Rose's teeth on edge. "And you start now."

The other team was off like a shot, scrambling to get to the area that Rose vaguely remembered was where she'd been 'transformed'. At that same moment Rick practically dislocated her shoulder as he pulled her bodily in the same direction. "Oi, you mind not injuring your partner!"

"Well you certainly weren't moving very fast." He shouted back even as his hand released hers.

"Bugger off." Rose spat pushing past the arrogant arse. She'd came up to a pair of women that were almost identical with their bizarre uniforms, height and similar faces, with the exception of their hair one was blonde with pink highlights while the other was blonde with blue highlights.

"All right dearie let's get you stripped then." The one with pink in her hair practically commanded.

Rose was glad that the two didn't talk at the same time cause that would be just too much but at the woman's words she pulled back not liking the sound of them. "This part is not on the telly is it?" Rose couldn't remember if there had been any cameras when she'd first gotten there but she didn't put it past these people to do just that. Maybe as some sort of best of moments type of thing.

The two smiled eerily at the same time. They quickly caught her up, and hustled her behind a set of curtains. The blue-blonde haired one spoke rapidly. "Don't be silly that's for 'What Not to Wear' this programme about dancing." The woman's voice held the hint of a giggle even as she seemed to chided Rose.

Rose was surprised at the two's strength as they pulled her along. She was uncomfortable about stripping in front of the two unknown females. She hadn't done that since school and that was with girlfriends not complete strangers.

As soon as she could Rose avoid the women and removed the ballroom dress herself. She kept the silk wrist bands, as the one still held her locket.

On a medium size screen the two dressers debated the choices of outfits. "Oh, no. Not that one. Her legs aren't long enough to pull that off." The one with blue-highlights immediately shot down.

"Oi!" Rose cried but was ignored.

"But Ami, she'd look so good in it." The pink high-lighted haired woman continued to encourage her idea.

Ami just shook her head not even giving the busty top and tasseled fringed harem pants a second look. "No Ina, this would work wonderful for both her stature and skin tone."

"Maybe the color but really it's too fluffy." Ina groused not liking the fluffy like feathers.

Rose hadn't liked either one. What the two put together next: she didn't know how it would even stay up. It was a cloth choker around the neck and a band across the breasts connected with a small scrap of material from neck to breast and then from breast to hips, flaring out with tasseled beading, longer in the back and shortening in the front. A billowing filmy gauzy cloth connected the back of the neck choker and satin wrist bands.

"Oi, I'm not wearing that." Rose declared in no uncertain terms.

The two turned with identical maniacal gleams in their eyes. "Unfortunately dearie we don't have time to argue."

They advanced, with claw like hands, on Rose who had nowhere to run as she was only in her yellow and pink knickers. Through several pained shouts and a couple of indignite squeaks Rose came out from beyond the curtain dress in a pink and yellow dress that wasn't much of anything. The former shop girl crossed her arms in embarrassment. She had a brief spark of memory or at least that's how it came across but Rose wasn't sure as it was a feeling rather than a full on image in her mind. The material of the dress had left the blonde woman feeling very exposed and it had felt like… well like it wouldn't be the first time. Like she had already been put on display to many eyes watching her for entertainment, and it had nothing to do with when she been a child in the gymnastics meets.

In the fight with the dresser's Rose had only been able to retrieve her locket. It had been the only battle that Rose had felt she'd had the upper hand in. No matter that it wasn't stylish it belonged to her. She wasn't going to let anyone take or toss it out.

"Step right up sweetie. It's time for your make-up." It was the same person from when she'd first arrived. She still couldn't tell if the make-up artist was male or female.

Rose slide into the chair. As the process of freshening up her make-up, the flush she'd had from the embarrassment of the changing clothes quickly washes away. The awful sick feeling returns with a vengeance but she stays put afraid of what else could go wrong.

Rose easily came to the conclusion that it wasn't just Rick causing her illness from before. She had to struggle with herself to not jump out of the chair to get away. Since the two female dresser's hadn't induce any of the symptoms it was apparent that her reactions were from the proximity of men. That meant that the person doing her make-up was a guy, Rose was certain that the make-up artist and Rick didn't wear the same cologne so it wasn't allergies that was causing her discomfort.

"Stop twitching." The man instructed in a hard voice.

Rose was glad when the torture of the chair was over she made to get up but was pushed back down. "Oi, what?"

"You're not leaving just yet darling it's my turn. Just look at that rat nest." The newest man said with a sigh.

The blonde woman groaned in both resignation and dismay. She looked in the mirror and was once again shocked at her appearance. She had hot and cold chills race through her, humiliation warred with sickness. The person that looked back wasn't Rose Tyler.

As Rose suffered through another person manhandling her, she suppressed a whimper of pain and revulsion. The Stylist paid her no attention as he put the final touches on the blonde woman's hair. "There darling you are now more presentable."

The former shop girl made no comment as she slipped off the chair. She was trying to recover from the 'Ballroom X's' apparent need for the final showdown to be spectacular. After receiving their last dance type, where they were also informed that it would be a dance off, which was the Samba the Len-bot had been gleeful in its supposedly random selection. Then both teams were hustled off to change. The experience had actually been worse than when she first arrived. At that time Rose had just went with the flow not really understanding what had been going on. Now she was aware of the camera's and that the programme hadn't gone to commercial. She had been saved the mortification of undressing in front of billions of viewers, but there were still the shows costumers, stylists and makeup people.

Rose had no time to digest anything as her dance partner was saying something a motioning her to follow. It was probably about how slow she was and that they didn't have time to be lollygagging.

* * *

The lift doors opened and Jack took a quick look around satisfied that there weren't any guards he strode out. The brown haired man checked for the Doctor's signature and followed the devices direction.

"Did you miss me handsome? And it doesn't look like Rose is with you." Jack didn't take much notice of the space outside the observation deck that he'd found the Doctor standing in. It just figure that he'd had to come down about two hundred and fifty floors before finding the alien man and that the Time Lord had another lost soul tagging along. Though what surprised Jack was that she kinda resembled a different blonde woman of their acquaintance.

The Doctor for once was extremely glad to see the 51st century man. The thing was that the situation was starting to on the vague resemblance to another adventure they'd been on recently… and that hadn't ended to well. "So you were able to track me down, how about Rose?"

Jack didn't take offense to the Doctor's brusqueness as he also didn't like the fact that once again Rose was in danger. "Well normally I would have but these rooms are all shielded. And that bit of jiggery pokery that last time you did on my wrist unit can't seem to get past them. So I'd have to say that she's still inside one of these games."

"Yeah, she more than likely is in one of those idiotic games. The answers are in this computer if I can just get it to work." The Doctor used both his fingers and prodding the device with his sonic screwdriver. He didn't worry that Rose was still alive as he still continued to have bouts of sickness though with his biology he was starting to get used to it. All his speculation on the subject was working in the back of his mind so that when there wasn't the urgency of finding his 'jeopardy friendly' companion and fixing the problem of the Fourth Great Human Empire he'd have time to mull over the facts and have a better reason than the one that kept coming to mind at the moment.

Jack couldn't help being impatient now that he knew what kind of trouble the Powell Estate girl could get into. "They maybe idiotic but they have killer endings. So, you might want to speed things up a bit."

"I know that Jack. What does it look like I'm doing? I not takin tea." The Doctor snapped frustrated he knew it was his fault that they were there. Somehow when he and Rose had left last time what the Time Lord thought had been sorted out really hadn't. Maybe it had been because his mind was clouded by the betrayal of the damn pretty boy that Rose had vouched for the Doctor couldn't even remember the fool's name.

Jack backed down he could see that it was going to be Sarkios all over again. He unstrapped the wrist-device and held it out to the Doctor. "For a while now, I put your and Rose's biological signatures in there." The ex-con man knew he didn't have to add when he done it.

The Doctor quick took the device not bothering to tell Jack that he should of asked for that information. Now wasn't the time to berate the man for his habit of taking things that didn't belong to him.

"I'm sure that if you plug it in it'll have better luck at getting past the shielding." Jack was just glad that the Doctor hadn't immediately started lecturing him on privacy.

The Doctor didn't have it in him right then to be nasty with the Captain. "Thanks Jack. We'll talk later about this."

Jack nodded then turned his attention to the blonde woman who had been quiet the whole time he and the Doctor had been at it. He held out a hand taking the smaller one into for a companionable shake. "Hello!" Jack just couldn't resist lowering his voice into a more allure tone.

Lynda was a bit awe struck as the beautiful man noticed her. "Um. Hi!"

"The names Jack, Captain Jack Harkness since the Doc isn't much on introduction." Jack smiled baudly at the woman waiting to see if she would reciprocate.

Lynda couldn't help smiling back, "I'm Lynda, Lynda Moss. That's Lynda with a y."

Jack blue eyes sparkled with interest and a small amount of sexual intent. "Well, Lynda with a y it very nice to meet you!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes even has he continued to work on the stubborn computer system. "If you two want to want some privacy you might want to try outside." He suggested as it wasn't only Lynda making him now he had to contend with Jack. Humans for the 51st century tended to also use their innate hormones to talk. The Doctor thought that Jack didn't have a shut off switch in that department even though he'd been trained by the Time Agency.

"Really Doctor I'm just introducing myself." Jack said grumpily.

The Doctor snorted. "Your normal state is flirting."

"Hey I wasn't protesting." Lynda tentatively got between the two men. She smiled and patted Jack on the chest.

Jack returned her smile and took her hand kissing the back in thanks. "I certainly glad about that."

"Oh you're a charmer you are." Lynda laughed giddily.

The computer system let out loud beeping and bleeping noises in protest. The two looked over to where the Doctor was continuing to work on the stations computer trying to find his blonde companion.

The Doctor growled in anger and frustration "What is wrong with this damn system? Nothing is working it won't conform even with the sonic."

The Time Lord tossed the wrist-device to the blonde pigtailed woman. He bent using the sonic screwdriver on casing and then began wrenching the front of the computer away. Jack stepped up and lent his help with pulling the part off. On the third pull the inside of the system was exposed wires sticking out. The Doctor caught the wrist-device that Lynda tossed back at the alien man when he signaled that want it.

"It's bizarre the satellite should be your average broadcaster. But the systems had been upgraded to a ridiculously complicated level. Oh this station's not just transmitting television feed… there's something else to it." The Doctor said as he worked with system to broaden the wrist unit's range.

Jack looked at the Time Lord in confusion "What do you mean? Like a subliminal?"

The Doctor used the sonic once more getting further agitated and feeling that time had suddenly had become of the essence, Rose needed him… them. "Jack I really don't know, but Bad Wolf has been following me since… well since I've had Rose with me. This isn't the first time an entity or group has manipulated my life. I have the feeling that we're caught in a trap and Rose had been dragged into it."

TBC…


	11. Chapter 10: Wolf Moon Rising

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who . Those are the sole property of the BBC.

Return to Satellite 5 AU: "Bad Wolf", "The Parting of the Ways" and "Born Again".

Note 1: This chapter has not been beta'd.

Note 2: Many thanks for the reviews, alerts and favorites. They all keep me writing. Too those who had questions on the sickness and the jewelry it will most definitely will be explained.

Chapter Ten: Wolf Moon Rising

Len-bot gestures out to the remaining contestants. "And now on with final dance." The robot's almost maniacal glee came through the pitch of the words it spoke.

Rose swallowed as the lights flashed and the music changed. She wanted to be anywhere else hopefully, longing, she scanned all around for a glimpse that the Doctor or Jack had found her and they'd extract her from the living nightmare she'd woken up to. The blonde woman didn't want to see anymore people die but she also wasn't ready to be the one put in the death chamber. Unfortunately, Rose saw neither as Rick swung her in a spin that made her dizzy.

The dance was on and Rose tried desperately to keep pace and remember the steps that her partner had put together. Forward and backward in time to the music shaking her arse and undulating her body around so that the tassel beads of her dress swayed invitingly.

* * *

The observation deck was silent excepted for the occasional, alien swear. The Time Lord in a frustrated burst of anger smashed his palm against the side of the computer console. The Captain's wrist device lit up green and a series of bleeps. "Ha, that's better. Rose is on the 407 floor!" The Doctor crowed in enthusiastic delight.

The blonde woman put a hand to her mouth as she let out a loud exhalation of breath. Lynda urgently put a hand on both man's arms. "Oh Lord. She's with the Len-bot it's just as bad as the Anne Droid from 'The Weakest Link'! She'll be dust, I'm surprised she isn't already!"

Both men gave each other a look of agreement. On either side of the woman they took an arm each and began dragging her with them towards the lift.

* * *

The Len-bot gaze took in the two couples dancing at a single glance from its pedestal. The lights shimmered off the metallic skin of the robot occasionally reflecting in out onto the dance floor. Rose was trying to ignore the sight as she and her partner twisted and turned on the studio floor.

The blonde woman forced back all the physical discomfort as the best she could. As the longer the dance went on it felt like other things were now making themselves known.

Rick though he knew how sick his blonde partner was didn't let that deter him from pulling into a tight sway of hips before swing her back out at a breakneck pace. The woman he could tell was starting to look a little green and very annoyed but she still had a fake smile.

* * *

In the lift the trio were watching as the floor numbers, changed rapidly.

Lynda bit her lip nervously not only for concern of Jack and the Doctor's female friend but also of the leather clad man. The energy she had marveled about in the 'Big Brother House' seemed to have intensived.

Jack didn't know when the last to he'd felt so useless to help someone. Rose was the first person in his life that saw through the bravado and saw him. It was both terrifying and nice to be able to just be himself. The ex-time agent wasn't going to let these myster people take that away. Jack turned off his emotions at that instant, for he knew that the Doctor would need him to be in the proverbial game.

The Doctor arms folded, watched the numbers of each floor flash by. 'Why did he have to be so far down the bloody Station?'

Inexorably, the Doctor's thoughts went back to since he'd gotten there. The most prominent was the similarities between the trio's misadventure on Sarkios. That was both a source of pain and pleasure. It was not a memory he wanted to bring up but the Time Lord knew that it was connected to his recent bout of sickness but even if time seemed to have slowed giving him space to ponder it. He needed the separation to be able to fully concentrate on Rose's imminent rescue. "Hurry it up... Why can't this thing go any faster?"

* * *

Rose felt like the dance was taking a long time but then again the other dances had only been two minutes to minute and half before. The dance now was a full five minutes, and it felt more like an hour.

Rick bent her over his arm. Rose's back was arched so far that her hair swept the floor as he swung her from left to right before pulling her back up. He twisted them both into spin with their bodies pressed together and legs appearing as if entwined. Rose breathed shallowly until they broke apart, she spun out only at that moment holding the man's sweaty hand. She moved her hips in time with the music and kicked and flicked to the steps that she'd been taught. The whole a pressure was starting to pound in the back of her skull.

* * *

There was no change to the outside of the Space Station as if the universe was unaware of the turmoil that was happening inside.

The quiet in the lift was oppressive as the three stood in ill concealed anxiety. The two men had a menace about them that was thinly cloaked in clam patience.

Lynda bit at her thumb nail praying to deities that she wasn't sure she'd ever believed in. The blonde woman didn't dare look at either man. She was a little afraid of what would be revealed if she did.

The Doctor could tell that his two companions were on edge but he didn't have any capacity to offer comfort at that moment. His blue eyes continued glare at the counter that still didn't seem to be going fast enough.

Jack spared a quick glance at the Doctor. The alien man was so wound up that he knew that if anything did happen to Rose there would be no stopping the Doctor from doling out retribution.

* * *

Rose's heart was pounding with the tempo of the music. Her brown eyes burned as perspiration ran down her brow. Rick never let her pause as the dance had only a minute left to go. He pushed her to follow his every movement.

She had time to briefly see over to the other couple. The male dancer had just flipped the woman in the air from his shoulders. Rose's pulse skipped at the artistry of the move before she was once again being twisted back towards her partner. Her stomach clenched painfully combined with an almost blinding pain behind her eyes.

* * *

The lift finally arrived on floor 407, the Doctor was the first one out. Jack and Lynda followed quickly behind echoing through the large chamber was lively dance music.

"What's with the club music?" asked Jack puzzled. He hadn't recognized the abbreviated name of the robot which would have correspond with a early twenty-first century reality celebrity.

Lynda didn't bother with rolling her eyes over the fact that both men had very little knowledge about old telly reality shows.

"It's from 'Ballroom X'. Now which one is Game Room Six!?" The Doctor explained and demanded as he frantically scanned for the right room.

Lynda would have grinned at the Doctor's surprising knowledge. She spotted the room and raced towards it shouting over her shoulder. "I found it, over here!"

The music blaring out seemed to be winding down the rhythm the sounds were slowing. The words of the song were also another indicator that the show was coming to it's finale.

The Doctor ran over sonic screwdriver at the ready. Immediately he began running the blue tipped device over the blue hand locking mechanism. The Time Lord's mind was a buzz which was not an all too unfamiliar sensation.

Jack couldn't stand how long it was taking to open the door now that they were so close to being able to save Rose. "Why don't you just use the hand plate?"

"The lift door was an easy get around. These that are connected to the game room are beyond sophisticated for this time period." The Doctor grumbled.

Jack lifted the large gun impatient to get inside. "Doctor get back, I'll just blast it open."

The Doctor focus harder on opening the closed door, sonic screwdriver was whirring frantically. "That's not an option Jack, the door is made of Hydra Combination." He recalibrated the sonic device without stopping or looking, it gave a high pitch whine even as the Doctor continued to press it into the touch-sensitive pad.

* * *

Rose was unprepared for Rick's hands grip going under her arms from behind and sweeping her into the air. The move was clumsy as he spun them around several times before letting her go. She gracefully slide across the floor coming to rest just in front of the Len-bot.

Rose noticed that the music was gone as she stared up at the exasperating robot. Panting, she let her partner assist in helping her to stand up.

The time had come to find out what fate had in store. Rose hadn't given up on the Doctor and Jack but it didn't look promising. Her anxiety was extreme and little out of body and the odd random thought came to the blonde 'at least I didn't fall out of this idiotic dress.'

The blonde stood with the rest of contestants waiting for the verdict like doomed prisoners. The lights shifted until they settled into three spot lights. Rose fidgeted with her fingers the tension mounted.

"Well that was certainly an interesting display of choreography." The Len-bot critiqued blandly.

If the situation wasn't so dire Rose would have made a snarky comment. The robot was exceedingly annoying. She was still trying to control her body's constantly changing bouts of sickness.

"The tallies are now in. So which team is the winner. Is it team Lovrick who had displayed tremendous amount of talent? Or the underdog through the whole contest team Rick?" The robot swiveled about indicating both couples and the monitor that would broadcast the results.

The large monitor lite up with pictures of the couples and the numbers began to shifted quickly until it at last land on the final score. The glow in the Len-bot's eyes took a menacing feel. "Well it's congratulations to Team Lovrick."

Rose was numb, she could hear the panicked wail of Rick and further away the relieved sighs of the winning couple. "Team Rick it's time for the final performance." The death chamber was spotlighted in a red malevolent glow.

* * *

Jack and Lynda stood anguishly waiting for the Doctor to open the game room door. The music had changed it now was more omission as it seemed to tick away the remaining time that Rose had.

The Doctor could feel adrenaline rush through him as change the settings once again. The sonic screwdriver whirred even faster and the locked device was coming unraveled but not quick enough.

The Doctor was desperate even down to muttering to himself. "Ah that's got it. Oi buggering piece of junk. Come on."

* * *

Rose stood stock still in terror, she could vaguely hear Rick crying and cursing that it was all her fault. "I wasn't supposed to be here. The Doctor and Jack, I have to find them. Their here I know they are. They wouldn't just abandoned me... Not the Doctor." Rose was screaming at the end.

The Len-bot wasn't paid the hysterically dance pair any mind as he continued "Team Loverick won the right to dance on broadway's 'Red Riding Hood' the musical."

Team Loverick were bouncing in place at their good fortune.

Rose couldn't help the terror that seemed to permeate her whole body. She unconsciously stepped closer to the podium that the Len-bot was stationed on. "You've got to stop! This whole bloody game is criminal!"

A loud bang came from one end of the large studio room. 'The Ballroom X' manager hurriedly went to see what had made such a racket. The man's eyes widen at the sight of the Doctor, Jack and Lynda rushing through the open stage door. The trio were too far away for the manager to know what their intent was having not heard of any type of disturbance from his contact with the control floor.

The Doctor's voice rang out in relieved desperation, "Rose Tyler!"

The Len-bot relentlessly went on without interruption. "Team Rick for your medicor display you will exit from life its self."

Jack didn't like the sound of that he rushed after the Doctor. "Stop! Stop the game, now!"

"I am ordering you to stop this game!" The Doctor yelled at the man that looked to be in charge, even as he sprint in the direction that he saw his blonde campion standing, and though the situation was intense the Doctor couldn't help thinking that Rose was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen before.

"You can't come in here! 'Ballroom X' is live on air.!" The floor manager yelled at the trio as they made their way towards the ballroom floor.

Lynda not knowing which of the two female contestants was Rose went for the floor manager. "Oh, bugger off you stupid git! Shut down the game."

The Doctor felt a moment of pride for the blonde pigtailed woman. It did not however divert him from getting to Rose. He pushed himself even faster across the remaining distance.

Rose having heard the commotion turned and sprinted as best she could on the three inch heels that she been put in for the last round. Her heart was beating double fast with adrenaline happy to see her friends a scared that they would not be in time.

The Len-bot was still functioning having not been turned off as the Doctor and Jack had ordered. "It is now time for the long walk." Rick had no idea what was going on so he stood absolotly still hoping that the droid wouldn't go after him.

Rose distinctly remembered those individuals that had not voluntarily gone into the chamber. "Doctor the Len-bot's got a laser gun!" Though Rose knew she'd have better luck not running further she couldn't stop now that her friends were there... The Doctor had yet to let her down but even as those thoughts went through her mind. She felt a jolt of energy pass through her body.

The Len-bot's disintegrator beams shoots out, hitting Rose squarely in the back. And with a scream, Rose is gone, mere feet away from the Doctor. Jack takes off towards the set, raging.

Jack couldn't hold back the uncontrolled anger and disbelief he felt. "What did you people just do to Rose.?"

The Doctor couldn't quite believe his eyes. The sick feeling he'd had was replaced with nothing the Time Lord felt absolutely nothing whatsoever. He collapsed in front of the pile of ash that was all that remained of Rose Tyler. He could hear Jack and Lynda along with those people from the Game Station it just didn't seem to matter. It was all just pointless to him Rose was gone and he'd been unable to do anything to stop it. The blue eyed alien ran trembling fingers threw the fine white ash his mind just refused to admit what was in front of him.

Keeping Lynda behind him, Captain Jack Harkness pulled his large gun on the remaining people in the studio. He was intent on them leaving the devastated Time Lord alone. He shouted "Back off!"

The man in charge tried to stay calm at the sight of the brown haired man's large laser gun. "Control I need security for 'Ballroom X' game room six. Immediately would be a good idea."

A group of heavily armed guards burst through the door that the Doctor had already opened.

The sight of the guards going to manhandle the Doctor Jack couldn't let the matter go. "Don't. Just don't touch him! You just leave him be!"

One burly security guard pulled unresponsive the Doctor to his feet. The Time Lord could only just stare at the spot that he'd last seen Rose. He didn't even acknowledge that a gun was pushed into his head. The Doctor couldn't bring himself to care.

The other guards pulled Lynda and Jack apart. Lynda tried kicking back afraid of what they would do to her. Jack did fought but he knew that the Doctor wouldn't want him to kill any of the innocent people who were just doing their jobs. That didn't mean he couldn't try push them into realizing their mistake. Jack yelled at the manager, staff and the guards. "You stupid bastards! You killed Rose! That damn droid shot and killed her!"

Jack's voice though distant to the Doctor the words beat a tattoo into his hearts. The Captain was right they had killed Rose destroyed someone who had lifted him from the ashes of his own despair. Now he was being suck back in as he couldn't take his eyes off the pile of ashes. It didn't feel anything as the guard tied his hands together. A tear he hadn't had for his own people spilled down his cheek.

A security guard in uniform black forcibly wrenched the Doctor's arms trying to get the alien man's attention. The Doctor paid the human man little attention as his brain seemed to be frozen. The guards words had a seemed to be at a great distant for a moment. "Sir, under Private Legislation Sixteen of the Game Station Syndicate, I'm placing you under arrest." Eventually all the voices drift away as the Doctor lost himself into his own mind. That spark of life that Rose had awaken in him was snuffed out leaving the alien man dead. If not in actually fact but emotional. What was left for him?

TBC...


	12. Chapter 11: Wolf Moon Rising

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who . Those are the sole property of the BBC.

Return to Satellite 5 AU: "Bad Wolf", "The Parting of the Ways" and "Born Again".

Note 1: Once again, I want to thank everyone who has made this story a favorite or put it on a story alert and I very much appreciate the reviews.

Note 2: This chapter has not been betad'.

Chapter Eleven: Wolf Moon Rising

The earth's sun shown brightly, the rays glitters off the station's exterior appearing like a beacon of hope even through the personal loss that were felt by a few of it's occupants.

The Doctor and his two remaining companions were lead away to a little used security room for jailing dissidents. The room wasn't large only about the size of Mickey's flat, it was sparsely furnished with a single desk, a spot for photo taking and a thick wired metal cage.

The Doctor didn't flinch as his face was thrust unceremoniously into the cage's sturdy metal gate. The guard patted the unresisting Time Lord down surprisingly, the uniformed man found only the Doctor's sonic screwdriver which had been in the alien man's normally very deep pockets. "Hmm. What's this?"

Abruptly, the guard pulled the Doctor away from the cage and quickly twisted him about to once again pushed the unresponsive prisoner into the cage gate. Holding the slim device before the Doctor's blank gaze. "Sir, this instrument what is it function?"

At the blue eyed man's apparent unwillingness to cooperate the guard shoved the Time Lord to the other guards who sat the leather clad man down between the other rebels. The door of the cage was opened with one guard still pointing a large gun at the three occupants. The burly guard went in and stood in front of the group.

"Why don't you tell us how you boarded the 'Bad Wolf Corporation's' Game Station?" The guard demanded as he loomed over them in an attempt to be intimidated.

Lynda may have wanted to just go home but she didn't like the way the guards were treating the Doctor. Couldn't they tell the poor man wasn't mentally able to cope with their brusque attitude. "Hey now. Why don't you leave him be!?"

Lynda breath hitched as the guard turned his attention onto her. His rough calloused fingers pinch her chin forcing her to look up into the man's cold hard eyes.

"Be quiet, I'll get you." The guard negligently pushed the blonde woman back.

Lynda's head rapped against the back wall with a dull thud. Jack was halfway out of his seat when he slumped back after seeing Lynda give a shake of her head signaling him to not get himself hurt.

The guard was once again in the Doctor's face demanding answers to his questions. "Who are you? Are you affiliated with any groups or Cooperation's? Sir you need to answer these questions." The Doctor just stared blankly not registering that he'd heard anything the guard had said.

After a while the guards gave up on trying to get any useful information from the prisoners. The female didn't know anything as she had been there much longer than the other two. The younger male would answer the question with smart arsed remarks and sexual innuendos not useful. The older male who had been most vocal before one of them had been disintegrated now apparently had nothing to say.

The guards pulled them back out of the prison cage one by one for processing. The Doctor's lack of reaction was starting to make the guards nervous. They went through the processing as quickly as possible.

The Doctor went through the motions that the guards required. His mind was doing it's own processing he may have felt dead inside but there was a building fire growing. The flash of the camera had him automatically change sides. Rose's smiling images blazed across his mind, from Cardiff 1869 inside the TARDIS when he'd complaint her, then again in the back of a UNIT car going to 10 Downing Street, and many more until that last time in the TARDIS when the Game Station transmat had taken her from him. He would never see Rose or that infectious smile again, well he could but that wouldn't be the same and he couldn't tamper with timelines like that not any more with him being the last. The last flash of the camera made the Time Lord blink.

The Doctor knew they need to get out and find out who or what had brought them there. He was taken back to his companions and roughly pushed into the bench.

The main guard took in the three, "You realize there is no trail and or appeal, the next stop is Lunar Penal Colony."

The Doctor remained unmoved be the proclamation and Jack didn't bother with any of his normal comments. Lynda's glance from the formidable guard to her would be rescuers, she twisted her fingers and shifted uncomfortably next to the leather clad Doctor.

"Understand this is the end for you lot." The guard's voice held ice. The burly man remained unsympathetic to the trio. None of the prisoners responded to the man's statement. The guard gave perceptible shake of his head as he turned away and made to leave the cage.

The Doctor waited until the guard had unlocked the cage before making his move. The first bout of any form of reaction since the loss of Rose. His eyes caught Jack's, "Time to go."

Jack sprang up tackling the guard at the cage door crash him into the steel wire face first. Before the guard could regain his balance the Captain had twisted the man around delivering two punches until finally the guard fell to the ground senseless. Just as quickly Jack used both feet to kick at the cage door where another security guard was coming to help his comrade. The second guard was propelled back several feet giving the three time to exit their prison cell.

The security guard recovered enough to head back into the fray. Jack simply rolled under the man's momentum sending the guard up and over his shoulder into the ground knock him out. The next instant Jack was punching the third guard standing in the confined space with such force that the former ex-time agent sent that man down for the count with breaking a sweat.

A fourth security guard came out and moved against the Doctor thinking he would be the easier of the two to bring down. The Doctor with surprising speed took the man's oncoming force by grabbing the man's jacket spinning them about and launched the human guard into the wall with enough force instantly cause unconsciousness.

The Doctor swiftly took back his sonic screwdriver before continuing on to find the nearest lift.

Jack picked up one of the guards bigger guns and the makeshift one he built before following after the Doctor.

Lynda wasn't very far behind having grabbed up extra ammo for the gun that Jack had commandeered. The didn't have much of a choice now, knowing that if she got caught again her sentence wouldn't be any different than what they were already planning.

The Stations alarms finally began to sound throughout the five hundred floor satellite. It was a race against the other security officials on the different floors to get to the top floor.

* * *

The brown haired tech had been watching over the processing of the prisoners since the Controller seemed to be unconcerned. As the scene unfolded in the holding cell he became anguish as the men fought escaping with little difficult. His eyes widen with the ease at which the two men dispatched the four skilled security guards.

He removed his headset, glancing over to his female associate with frightened brown eyes. "Shite. Trouble's on it's way."

* * *

The trio made it to the lift without further incident. Which didn't mean that there wouldn't be problems when they reached the five hundredth floor. When they entered the Doctor took the front position with Jack on his right side and Lynda on the left.

"Now it's time to take matters to the top." What at one time would have been a witty comment from the Doctor now was said in all seriousness. The alien man's contiguous exuberance was gone. In it's place was the somber angry expression that had made the unfeeling Dalek's quake with fear and named him the Oncoming Storm.

* * *

The tech wasted no time in hitting the secondary alarms button. The second alarm finally got the attention of the other tech staff. Frightening the 'What Not to Wear' group.

"Everyone! Leave your stations! Their in the lift and two of the individuals have guns! Big guns!" Before the man's finally words were shouted out the entire staff were frantically retreating from the lift doors and the line of fire. A few brave souls kept to their duties which happened to be directly for the Controller.

* * *

The Doctor brandished the huge modified defabractor switching off the safety as he do so. He had promised himself that he would never again handled such a weapon but that was before he'd once again had someone special taken from him.

Lynda looked apprehensive but made no remark. The dark dangerous look of the man called the Doctor terrified her. It's was like nothing she'd ever seen before. Her nervous blue eyes briefly met those of the Captain. The former 'Big Brother' contestant shivered as the pretty face of the man had a frightening beautiful angered expression. For some bizarre reason it made both men more compelling.

The blonde woman swallowed, turning her gaze back to the lift counter. It surprised her how fast it was going since before when they had been trying to rescue their friend it seemed to be going at a snails pace.

* * *

The black haired woman stood in front of the sightless Controller. Her voice was raised trying to convey to the Controller how dire the current predicament was. "Bloody hell! We're in an emergency situation! You need to close off this floor and lock the lift!"

The milky eyes of the Controller stared out into space no reaction to the scream woman or the disaster that was coming up the lift at that moment. She continued on with her work. "Once again a reminder to all personnel there will be solar flares starting in delta point two..."

"Would you forget about the solar flares a tic! Those people... That man is going to execute you!" The brown haired man shouted at the unfazed pale skinned woman.

With woosh the lift doors open revealing two pissed off men and one hesitant blonde woman. A hushed silence fallen as the staff got their first in person look at the people had caused a day worth of intrigue. The Doctor was the first to exit the confined space, he was closely followed by his companions.

"All right, everyone get away from the terminals! I don't suggest anybody trying to be clever. Is that understood!?" Jack followed behind the Doctor with two medium sized guns pointed into the air. The ex-time agent wasn't at all surprised at the speed of the staff abandoning their posts.

The cold look in the Doctor's blue eyes also helped in speeding those remaining personnel away from their desks. The Time Lord strode with long purposeful steps to the blind woman up on the platform. He could sense that she was the subject of his ire and his eyes didn't deviate from his target.

Lynda trailed behind the Doctor and Jack not wanting to get in the way. She was positive that neither would be distracted by her but she knew enough not to get close to those that they were holding hostage.

Jack continued to issue orders letting Lynda stick behind and allowing the Doctor to deal with the who was behind highjacking them from the TARDIS and killing Rose. "You lot keep away from the terminals. Yeah over there to the side. Now don't move an inch."

The Doctor point Jack's modified gun menacingly at the Controller, "Who or what is running the Game Station formerly known as Satellite Five?"

The Controller stood, blankly looking out, ignoring the Time Lord. She didn't let on how joyful she was that the Doctor had finally arrived. "Thirty... thirty-one... thirty-two... thirty-three..."

"This Satellite's more than what it seems. It's not just a Game Station is it?" The Doctor demanded he was fast losing his patience.

The Controller had so much she wanted to tell the alien man before her but it wasn't time yet. She continued on with her primary function. "Zero... one..."

The Doctor was bordering on that slippery slope of letting the dark core of his soul loose. "Was it you who murdered Rose?"

The blind woman want to flinch away from the hostel waves of anger and sadness that emitted from the Doctor. She couldn't deviate from the plan. In the long run it would all work out. "Once again, all staff you are reminded that solar flares..."

"You are going to answer!" The Doctor lost that last bit of restraint as shouted over the pale sightless woman.

"... in delta point one." The Controller rattled off in her raspy voice.

The brown haired tech stepped bravely forward not wanting the leather clad man to start shooting at the Controller in a fit of rage. "The Controller's not gonna reply to you."

The Doctor immediately turned to the man with his weapon still at the ready. The group of people shifted uneasily now that the large gun was pointed in their direction.

"Don't shoot!" The tech's brave face only went so far, he stepped back as the gun looked even bigger now that that it was directed at him.

The Doctor lowered the muzzle of the gun down. "Don't be daft. I wasn't gonna shoot you." With both hands turned the remodeled defabricator sideways then tossed it into the tech's surprised arms.

The Doctor gave the abandoned monitors a quick glance. He spotted that the other security guards had finally coming enforce. "Well Captain, we'll be having company soon. Better make sure the exits are squared away."

"You betcha Doc!" The former time agent gave the alien man a smart salute before taking charge of sealing the doors shut. Lynda followed just on the off chance that Jack might need her assistant.

Turning back to the male tech, the Doctor gave him an appraising look before beginning his questions. "You there. Could you repeat what you just said?"

The man's brown eyes nervously went from the gun in his hands to the man who had readily given it up. "Um... You gave me your gun?"

"Yeah, so. If you're not gonna shoot me, answer my question. Why won't she talk to me?" The Time Lord demanded as he managed to contain his impatience at the man's slow witted answer.

The male tech continued to the hold the gun awkwardly not really knowing what to do with it. Seeing as it was the first time he'd ever held one. "The Controller is... well she's... ah... Any chance I can get rid of this?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes no longer able to hide his exasperation of the gormless humans he was dealing with. "Go ahead, just be quick about it."

"Right ta." The man set the large weapon on the desk beside him. Turning back to the Doctor the man spoke quick so as not to anger him. "Well. The Controller's connected to all the interchange communications. She's the entire sender and receiver for the Game Station, her brain is the circuit. Only member's of the staff are programmed in for recognition. Anybody who isn't on file doesn't exist."

"She have a name?" The Doctor asked looking at the blind woman and trying to understand what her role was in getting him to the Game Station.

"I'm not sure. She might've had at one time. The Controller was integrated into the system when she was five. This place and the data in the computers is all she's known." The male tech face twitched into a grin hoping it would help ease the tension in the room.

Jack made quick work of the incredible lack of security. The doors were locked but it wouldn't take a very skilled tech to be able to get through. He pushed back and bumped into Lynda who had been standing right behind him. "Sorry."

"No, Sorry." She smiled backing up.

It took Jack a moment to get back on track, not that he mind the blonde distraction. "We're set Doc. Unfortunately, we only have about ten minutes of safety."

The Doctor kept watching the Controller as she just stood murmuring numbers that eventually recycled over. "Great Jack, keep a close watch on 'em."

The brown haired tech couldn't help being impressed by the man in front of him. The leather clad man was listening to him and taking what he said seriously. "All the things you were talking about, in the 'Big Brother House', with the Game Station not being normal and unusual things happening. You popping up wasn't a first time thing. The unauthorized transmats have been happening for years. Perhaps since, right after the refurbishment."

"Really, you have proof." The Doctor was eager to see what the human had since he'd turned out to be somewhat knowledgeable.

Jack was again distracted from the monitor as his wrist device sounded off. He looked over the readings finding that it had zeroed in on the TARDIS's energy signature. "Lynda, watch this right and yell if you see any movement."

"Ah, alright Jack." The blonde woman went to stand if the Captain's place. "What are you doing?"

"Me. You'll find out." The blue eyed man said as he followed the directions from his wrist device straight to the door of Archive Six. Jack tried out the hand plate to see if he can get in.

"Hey, only authorized personnel can go in there! Archive Six is a restricted section!" The black haired tech shouted at Jack. The ex-con man jerked back in surprise at being addressed so loudly.

Jack couldn't help but tease the woman by holding up the two guns. "Really, Does this look like I have a problem with restricted section?" Placing his hand back on the plate the door opened immediately not having the same problem the Hindi woman had before they arrived.

* * *

Upon enter the room of archive six, Jack couldn't contain his joy at seeing the beautiful blue police box that rest in the middle of the sterile white room. He rushed over to unlock the TARDIS door.

Rushing into the TARDIS, Jack felt a wave of comfort as the humming of the time and space ship filled his ears. "It's nice to see you again old girl. Don't worry about the Doctor we'll take care of him."

Striding up the ramp to the console, Jack spotted Rose's denim jacket. It was where she'd left when they had come back from visiting Kyoto, Japan. It just laid casually over the handrail as if just waiting for her to come in to either put on or take back to her room. He couldn't help but taking a moment to brush his hand over it mournfully.

Pushing away the despair he felt; Jack continued to the TARDIS console. Since he'd joined the Doctor and Rose, the TARDIS had made an exception for him by putting some of the writing on her screen in basic. The 51st century man checked over the screen seeing what kind of calculation the sentient alien ship had found while they'd been stuck in warped versions of 21st century reality games.

What Jack saw through him for a loop. At first he didn't quite know what to make of it. He hoped the TARDIS wasn't having a glitch but everything was in order. "Well I'll be damned!"

* * *

"Solar-flare activity at delta point zero..." The Controller continued on with her tasks, but she was also counting down to the time she could speak with the Doctor.

The black haired tech wasn't happy, they were trapped with people who were crazy. "You're scaring the personnel. So, If we're not hostages why not let us go?'

"Oh, you want to be released. After only having a few minutes of being scared. What about all those contestants who were frightened and executed by the hundreds by them." The Doctor returned without any sympathy. The Time Lord had little compassion see as these were the people who had just watched as people were murder before them on a daily bases. Rose might have able to deter him but she had been a victim.

The woman glared at him flushing at the moral reminded. "This is our job. We're not the ones who made the rules."

"Don't talk to me, it's that kind of attitude that gets you human's into these types of messes. Now shoo." The Doctor voice took on an edge of disgusted as well as contempt for the easy dismissal of life without questioning why.

Lynda couldn't help the involuntary cringe at the blue eyed man's unkind words.

The Hindi woman could only stare in shocked bewilderment as the man looked away from like she wasn't there.

All the monitors in the vast room of floor five hundred went fuzzy with static. A second later they flicker briefly before going black. The systems all whirred slightly before cutting out completely.

"The solar-flares interfere with the Satellite's communications. The Game Station goes to auto shutdown. The planet side has a few rounds of reruns until everything's back to normal." The male tech explained as the terminal he was working with went blank.  
The Doctor sighed in frustration as one issue after another came up. He knew it wasn't anyone's fault but the Time Lord had an uneasy feeling that gnawing at his mind and stomach.

From where the Controller stood prop up like a human puppet, the woman whispered out as if someone outside of the room would be able to hear. "Doctor."

The female tech heard the softly spoken word. Turning to the Time Lord, she attempted to get the alien man's attention. "Doctor?"

"You'll need to take a number. I'm a bit busy at the mo." The Doctor wasn't in the mood to hear anymore of the human woman's babble.

She didn't let his rudeness intimidate her. "Doctor, the Controller's asking for you."

The Doctor spun shifting his gaze up to the pale woman. The unease he been feeling went up a notch.

"Doctor." The Controller said louder but still so quietly as if someone was eavesdropping.

The Doctor rushed over to stand within speaking distance. He wasn't going to waste the opportunity to talk to the one person on the station that knew everything that going on there.

Her milky eyes stayed steady staring out ahead toward nothing that the average person could see. Her voice held an edge of urgency. "Doctor? The Doctor is here?"

The Doctor spoke quickly to reassure the blind woman. "Yes, I'm right here."

"Always blind. The entirety of my life has be numbers. Never ending numbers, blind to the world around me. Then you appeared through the dark and all the numbers." The Controller spoke of herself as if to explain why she'd brought the alien man to the Game Station.

The Doctor couldn't help feeling some pity for the woman who never been given a chance to live. "Why did you bring us here? For what purpose?"

The Controller continued as if the Doctor hadn't spoken. "It was the only way. It had to be the right time solar-flares they hide me from them. Always listening they are... the lords and masters... my lords and masters, They are listening but not now... Oh no not now. The flare of the sun so bright it blocks them from hearing me."

"Lords and master who are they?" The Time Lord demanded not liking the sound of what might be behind all the carnage.

The Controller smiled as she relayed the clever plan she'd hatched. "Can't not say they've forbidden it... painful to know... My lords... my masters their in my mind controlling all, but I was careful oh so careful. The transmission they watched but not the shows... oh not the shows... foolish beneath them. So found you and brought into the games hide you away." Everyone in the room was enraptured by the story enfolding by a woman who'd very rarely interacted before.

"Oi, my friend, she's dead because of you putting her in one of those games." The Doctor 's northern accent was was thick and filled with ice.

"She's not important." The blind woman said matter of factly, not realizing what those three words would do to the man stand before her.

The alien man's belly was filled with fire all the while his two hearts turned stone cold. The brief amount of empathy he had felt vanished at those careless words. "_Not important!_ Rose Tyler not _important!_ How _dare_ you say that to me!"

The Controller continued on unfazed by the Doctor's ire. "My lords and masters have hidden away. In the dark of space they plot and planned... they've pushed and prodded the planet below into what they wanted. So long it's been so long... hundreds and hundreds of years they've guided humanity like sheep for the slaughter."

"Who are your lords and masters?" The Doctor badgered, wishing that the woman would just tell him what he wanted to know.

The Controller stalled answering the alien man's question as it terrified her. For the terrible beings would know as soon as the solar-flares were gone. She would have nowhere to hide then. "They've waited so long. Increasing their numbers for the day that all their plans would come to bare. Strength in vast amounts of their numbers..."

The Doctor needed to know who he was dealing with, knowing your enemy was important in being able to defeat them. "But who are they?" He insisted again.

The blind woman surprisingly focus her milky eyes down as if she was able to see the Doctor. "My lords and masters fear you. The Doctor they speak of you and are afraid."

"You have to _tell_ me who they are!?" The Doctor shouted.

The Controller scared started to speak, but the current of energy and the endless numbers were back. She gave a gasp of pain retreating back letting only the numbers show in her mind, she once again hide away all knowledge of the Doctor. "Fifteen... sixteen... seventeen..."

The terminals flashed and came back to life all across the floor. The Doctor turned to the brown haired tech, "The next solar-flare when is it?"

"That won't be for another two years." The male tech answered mournfully.

He would have liked at least one thing to go right. "Oh that's fantastic that is."

The Doctor wanted to thrash something maybe after he would feel better. The shock of losing Rose coupled with the pure adrenaline he'd been using for the escape, up until now had effectively blocked his mind returning to complete silence. Their adventure on Sarkios had left a fragile link between him and Rose. He had tried burying it along with Rose's memories of that day.

"Hey Doc I found the TARDIS!" Jack shouted as he came back into the room snapping the Doctor away from painful memories.

The Doctor wanted to leave these people to their own devices but that wasn't his way. "Jack we can't leave yet."

"Good. Have I got a surprise for you." Jack pulled the brown haired tech out of the chair at the closest terminal. "The old girl figured out what's going on."

"Well, isn't the saying seeing is believing, so let me demonstrate." Jack tapped a few keys on the terminal desk then walked over to where Lynda stood.

The Doctor waited and watched Jack as he set about showing him the TARDIS's explanation as what was going on. At the moment he still didn't have all the information he needed.

Lynda who had been standing monitoring the guards progress jumped as Jack ushered her away. "I'll need you to help. So Lynda just stand over in the middle of the room for a second. I promise I'll make repay you later."

"Yeah, alright but Jack. It's not gonna hurt is it?" Lynda wasn't very enthusiastic about the little bit of show and tell the Captain was about to do. "What kinda repayment?"

Jack gave Lynda a wicked smile, "Don't worry it's not gonna hurt. Repayment I'm open for negotiation."

The Doctor sighed, "Jack."

"Fine Doctor, I'm getting on with it. Okay now everyone pay attention. And in... three, two one..." Standing back at the terminal Jack pressed a couple of buttons.

A red-gold beam shot down from the ceiling right into the top of Lynda's head. The energy dispersed around her for a moment then she was gone leaving behind a pile of ash and a puff of smoke.

The Doctor stared at the spot where Lynda had just been. His minded was a buzz trying to piece the puzzle together. "You didn't just kill her!? Jack?"

"Huh. That's what they want you to think." Jack shook his head. He pressed the same buttons and the air was filled with same energy and the beam appeared next to the Doctor. A second after Lynda was once again standing before everyone. The only obvious effects anyone could see was she appeared dazed but otherwise she was fine.

"Jack, What the bloody hell?" She gripped onto the nearest desk so as not to fall down. "You are so going to owe me."

Jack and the Doctor, both ignored the blonde woman's pique. The Doctor's face wasn't confused but he didn't want to get his hopes up not without Jack full explaining first.

"It's a secondary transmat system. Whoever behind this is transporting the contestant away. Nobody's died." The Captain was giddy as he watched the Time Lord's face slowly transform back from the doomed expression to his normal manic one.

The Doctor let Jack continue even as he realized that it meant Rose was alive somewhere. The silence wasn't caused by her death but a form of shielding.

Jack couldn't contain the happiness he felt, as shouted out the last. "Doctor, our Rose is alive just across space waiting for us to get her!"

The Doctor laughed along with Jack. Rose Tyler was alive. He throw his arms around the over flirty man giving him a hug relief. Both mad men were so happy at that moment.

TBC...


	13. Chapter 12: Wolf Moon Rising

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who . Those are the sole property of the BBC.

Return to Satellite 5 AU: "Bad Wolf", "The Parting of the Ways" and "Born Again".

Note 1: Once again, I want to thank everyone who has made this story a favorite or put it on a story alert and I very much appreciate the reviews.

Note 2: This chapter has not been betad'.

Chapter Twelve: Wolf Moon Rising

Across the darkness of space, Rose Tyler was laying in a heap on a strange spaceship floor. She eventually stirred, groaning at the pain in her head and the aches of her body. Rose couldn't remember the last time she felt so bad... Well, there'd been the time she woken back in the TARDIS without so much as a memory of how she'd gotten there. She shifted sitting up.

Rose opened her eyes taking in the area around her. The spaceship was well lit, it had gold tones to the metallic walls and wide arched pathways. There was a distinct hum emanating from place but nothing like the TARDIS; it was very mechanical and alarming.

Turning around, Rose's soft brown eyes widen in fear. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It wasn't possible.

"This can't be... you can't be real." Rose stammered quickly pushed herself up off the floor.

The creature advanced on her gliding across the smooth surface of the ship. Rose retreated, as her mind tried to grasp what had happened and the facts that were before her at that moment. Her thoughts were slow though having just woken into a personal nightmare.

Rose gasped a she back up into a cold wall, which had come in contact with her bare flesh. It was so real that Rose knew she wasn't just dreaming and that everything even the idiotic dance contest had been real. But still the creature before her couldn't be real... perhaps an illusion.

"You're dead... We saw you. You can't be here." Rose took a step to the side in an effort to evade the thing but it was no use. A plungered appendage got in her way as the eyestalk looked directly into her face. There was no room to escape.

* * *

On floor five hundred of the Game Station, the Doctor, Jack and the male tech worked feverishly trying to locate where the secondary transmat beam sent the contestants. The Doctor went from one console to another in his search. "Blast it. I know she's somewhere out there."

The Controller could see and hear the search. She knew that it was her fault that the lords and masters had the Doctor's friend. It would take them longer if she didn't help and really what possible reason did she have to not help. "Doctor!" The blind woman cried out in pain.

The Controller was sure that in betraying her lords and masters she'd sentenced herself to death and tremendous amounts of pain before hand. She wouldn't let that stop her however. "The co-ordinates Doctor... five point six point one..." Pain surged through her body as she spoke.

The Doctor sat abruptly and started typing in the co-ordinates that the blind woman rattled off. His conscience though made him try to deviate her from doing so. "There's no solar-flare's to hide you. You need to stop!"

The Controller ignored the alien man, it was already too late. They would punish her but it didn't matter anymore. She knew that the Doctor would destroy them and no one else would have to suffer. She shouted out again against the pain determined that the Doctor would have the means to have the upper hand. "Oh... my lords and masters, I'm no longer your puppet... Point four three four... Stigma seven seven..."

One final scream tore through the top floor, before ending in a deafening silence. The Doctor typed in the last set of numbers, just before looking to see that the Controller had been transmatted away. They had taken her leaving behind only the remnants of her captivity, wires dangled uselessly, smoke billowed away. He could see the same pile of ash that was left from each transport.

"They have her now." The Doctor pushed away the feeling of guilt. He reminded himself that humans valued the freedom of choice. The Controller had chosen to help. If they were lucky maybe they would be able to save her as well as Rose. In the Doctor's rational mind he knew that was a long shot.

* * *

In another section of the spaceship that Rose was transmatted to the Controller appeared. She landed with a dull thud on the floor. Her pale skin turned a shade of grey as the wires lead had been forcibly removed in the transport. The holes in her head and sides now fully exposed to the air made the woman flinch.

The Controller stood braving against the pains of her body. She would not face her long time tormentors cowering on the floor like a whipped dog. Her blinded milky white eyes stared out to where she knew would be her lords and masters. Their cold lack of emotions made her shiver.

"My lords and masters... So long have I waited for this moment. You killing me won't stop him. Your destruction is here and I brought him." The controller stood defiantly proud of her accomplishment and gleefully extolling their downfall.

The being said nothing only pointed it's gun and fired. The beam from the gun seemed to echo off the walls. The blue radiated around the woman's body revealing the skeleton beneath and glowed only for an instant. The Controller collapsed to the cold floor drained of life.

* * *

The Doctor, Lynda and the two techs were gathered around Jack's terminal. The Time Lord had relented that the ex-time agents skills with that times technology was superior than the current techs willing to help. The Doctor temper was already stretched thin at that point he'd most likely dismantle the thing rather

The male tech fidget as he watched the blue eyed Captain struggle with finding the coordinates. "Um... Maybe you should use this." He held out a small disk to Jack. "I had been recording all the unauthorized transmat info up till now. It should have the last set of coordinates in there."

"That's Great."

Jack took in the man's eager expression and couldn't help noticing how attractive he was being close enough to actually see the tech's face. His body wasn't bad either for a desk jockey. "Captain Jack Harkness, but you can call me Jack." He held out his hand.

The brown haired man, smiled broadly, taking the proffered hand giving it a few pumps. "Davitch. Davitch Pavale."

Jack was unable to resist smiling back, letting his impish charm to surface. "A pleasure it is to meet you, Davitch Pavale and I..."

"Oi Jack, focus." The Doctor barked, interrupting. The alien man didn't hide his disgust the Captain's ill timed flirting.

The female tech, who didn't offer up her name, quickly step in to defuse anymore distractions. "Doctor, you believe the station has been put in place as a front for other purposes?"

"Yeah, first it was the Jagrafess, which we put an end to hundred years ago." The Doctor crossed his leather clad arms as he thought threw what had transpired to the present. Time was not linear, there were so many variables and in his mind he could see them all. His eighth incarnation had been the best at deciphering them, but then Gallifrey had still been around. "It's a big game of chess, with the human race being the pawns. Impart I've unknowingly been playing along and it's been going for generations."

Jack had found what the they needed as the Doctor talked. He hadn't been there for that first jaunt to the space station. Now he was sure having listened to the Time Lord's tone that he was taking the blame for not having realized the deeper danger being done.

Jack held up a small remote. "Here Doc. Use this."

The Doctor took the device, looked it over a second before stretching up an arm pointing at where the Controller had stood, and pressing a button. A semi-transparent image appear out of thin air, showing the vast blackness of space. The group just stared up at the complete nothingness the Captain had the Doctor turn on.

"This is where all the disintegrator transmats are sent to. That is the very edge of the Solar system." Jack ventured before anyone could voice their questions.

"You've gotta be kidding. It's just empty space." The Hindi woman said disbelieving. There had to be a more logical explanation.

The Doctor knew he would have to explain though it was a bother, some humans were so thick, they needed to have everything fed to them. "They made it so that's, what you lot would see. The satellite was made for that. It's one of the functions. The main one really to send out a separate signal..."

Dalitch looked between the two men confused. He wasn't sure if he understood all that they were talking about. "Whoever's behind the secondary transmatts is hiding out there. But what for?"

"Their waiting, hiding themselves from the possibility of exposure from all of Earth's abilities that might have be able to discover them. Sonar, radar, scanner... all of it was to disguise that part of space." The Doctor said as they all stared at the supposed black emptiness of space.

"Invisible... out there something is just hovering over humanity." The Doctor's voice lowered making all present shudder.

Lynda bit her lip at the dire circumstances she had unwittingly found herself in. She glanced back at the Doctor then onto Jack drawing comfort and courage from both men as they hadn't given up hope at rescuing their friend even though the odds seemed to be against them.

The Doctor was frantically putting all the pieces together. "Now let's see what's out there..." He bent over tapping the buttons on Jack's board.

The image in front of them shimmered the blackness receded leaving in it's wake a wide expanse of space at first only a single slowly revolving saucer shaped spaceship appeared. Then more and more came into view. The Doctor's eyes widen in horror at the sight. To the Time Lord's count there were around two hundred of the circular spaceships.

Jack gasped with disbelieve and uneasiness as he recognized the ships. "How can that be? They were destroyed. It's not possible."

The Doctor didn't want to believe what he was seeing but knew that somehow more had survived not just that lone being in Utah. "Unfortunately, Jack they're like cockroaches that survive anything." The Doctor's voice was subdued in the wake of discovering the beings 'behind the current'.

Lynda stood nervously behind the two men. "Um... Doctor, Who survived and what do they want?" She whispered fear coloring her normally bubbly voice.

"Out of two hundred ships there would be a totally of two thousand on each. That's roughly a half a million." The Doctor's northern accent held an edge of fear.

Davitch saw that he wasn't the only one confused the two women had puzzled looks on their faces. It seemed to the brown eyed man that the Doctor was reluctant to say who the owner of the spaceships were. "Doctor, half a million of who?"

"They're not normal beings. They're Daleks." The Doctor said in disgust and no small amount of loathing.

* * *

Across space inside the largest Dalek ship, Rose drew back into herself, in an attempted to be invisible from the insane machines. She shivered as the temperature on the Dalek ship was much colder than that of the Space Station. She had gotten used to the heat of the camera's spotlight. It didn't help that she was still in the ridiculous dance outfit.

A gold Dalek glided into the chamber that was joining his armored fellows. It called out in a loud frantic shout. _"We are detected! Alert, the Doctor has detected us!"_

Rose sat on the floor uncomfortable, as another gold Dalek positioned next to her screamed back it's light beacon's flashing. _"He has located us! The Doctor! The Oncoming Storm!"_

Rose's eyes wide in both fear and hope. The Doctor had found her, but unfortunately the Dalek's now knew about the Time Lord. The blonde woman wished she could warn them.

_"Open communications channel!"_ The gold Dalek that Rose had first seen demanded loudly.

The Dalek that had enter turned to Rose pointing it's plunger and gun at her. _"Stand! The human female will stand! Stand!"_

Rose flounder in the high heels still on her feet, catching hold of the wall behind her the blonde woman was able to steady herself. She stood nervously waiting for what the gold pepper potts would do next.

In the air above them a image appeared and on the slightly transparent view; was the Doctor sitting in front of a console with Jack right next to him and behind them were three individuals that Rose didn't know. Two women and a man of them; the two dark haired people looked professional where as the blonde woman looked to be in casual clothes. Rose felt a wave of relief at seeing the Doctor and of course Jack alive.

* * *

The Doctor rolled his shoulders relieving himself of any anxiety. He had show no emotion... especially fear. He grimmly faced the three gold Daleks surrounding Rose with distaste. Inside, the Time Lord was reassured with the sight of the blonde woman. He couldn't help the errant thought about how she looked incredible beautiful in the pink and yellow outfit.

The Dalek on the left of Rose shrieked, _"I will talk to the Doctor."_

"Really. Alright then. Hi ya!" The Doctor answered back in a false friendly manner. He gave them a silly mocking wave and grin that disappeared instantly.

The Dalek unfazed by the Doctor's strange behavior. _"The Dalek Stratagem nears completion! The Fleet is almost ready! You will not intervene!"_

The Doctor "Is that right? Why would I do that then?"

_"We have your associate! You will obey or she will be exterminated!"_ The Dalek moved slightly back and forth it's dome-light's flashing with each word screeched out in demand.

Rose trembled, arms wrapped around herself for added warmth. She flinched at the harsh sounds the large metal being was making. She couldn't help remembering a different Dalek one that had been tortured and hurt but had ultimately killed itself because of her. These Daleks were nothing like that one. She gazed up at the Doctor's image trying not to show how truly terrified she was.

The Doctor sat staring at the beings he had thought were destroyed. He should have known better particular since his and Rose's adventure in Utah. The Doctor pushed back the memory of having trapped his companion in with the killing machine. He had to concentrate on the here and now. "No."

The four humans looked as one at the alien man. None of them knew what was going on in the Doctor's Time Lord brain which would cause him to be so perfunctory in telling the metal being off.

Jack had to figure that the Doctor had some sort of plan. Lynda grabbed Jack's shoulder in an attempted to comfort the man; even if she'd only known them a short while she was certain that the Doctor's answer had to have been painful.

The Dalek sat perfectly still as if digesting the alien man's response. _"The Doctor will explain!"_

The Doctor looked defiantly back and raising his voice slightly higher, "My answer is _'no'_."

_"What is the meaning of this dissentient?!"_ Dalek shook with agitation.

"It's exactly what it means _'no'_." The Doctor said even louder in his determination.

The Dalek's eyestalk swiveled from its captive to the Time Lord on the screen. _"But she will be annihilated."_

The Doctor stood powerfully formidable addressing the gold Dalek threatening Rose. "No! 'Cos I'm gonna safe Rose. I'm gonna do it right before your tin bodies."

Rose believed in the Doctor and wished she had the courage to voice her pride in him. She knew that he was facing one... if not _the_ greatest fear of his long life.

"Yeah. Right out of the middle of the Dalek Fleet and while I'm at it I'll save the Earth. Oh and by the way I'm gonna make sure that every last Dalek spaceship and _'Vile'_ Dalek is extricated from existence." The Doctor's speech rang with fiery conviction and confidence.

The Jack and Lynda hearing the Doctor's declaration gazed on the alien in equals apart wonder and inspiration.

The Dalek skittered backwards a bit then it cried out perplexed, _"But you have no weapons! No defences! No plan of Attack!"_

The Time Lord grinned broadly a manic gleam in his blue eyes. A kind of madness had descended on to him and in a bizarre sort of happiness. "Yeah. And aren't you scared to death now? Rose Tyler?"

"Yes, Doctor?" Rose gazed at her Doctor in loving expectation. She was all too eager to do anything the Doctor asked of her.

"Rose, I'm coming to get you." The Doctor's tone came close to express the deep love he felt for the blonde woman. At that moment he didn't care there weren't any other Time Lords to berate him for having fallen for a human.

* * *

The view screen went out as the Doctor turned off the communication between the Game Station and the leading Dalek ship. The Daleks went berserk after hearing the Doctor's plan. Rose stood not knowing what to do.

The high pitched scream of one Dalek echoed throughout the ship. _"The Doctor is preparing hostile action!"_

_"Begin the invasion of Earth! We must move forward in the Stratagem!"_ The Dalek on Rose left screamed out its' orders.

The three Daleks that had been standing guard on Rose spun around wildly facing the wall where sockets lined it. There they began proceeding with their defense of the Dalek ship.

Rose shifted out of the way of the mad metal beings. It seemed that now that she was no use and that the Doctor was coming they forgotten about her.

The third golden Dalek screamed out in what Rose could only call frighten triumphant. _"We will exterminate the Doctor!"_

_"Yes! Exterminate!"_ The words became a cacophony as thousand of Daleks screamed for the extermination of the Doctor. Some rose into the air as if the high would make the words echo out into space and reach the Doctor.

All Rose could do was stay out of the way in frightened terror, as the cries of the metal army of pepper potts grew in an insane volume. She hoped that the Doctor would get there soon.

End of Wolf Moon Rising to be Continued in Apart But Not Separate.


	14. Chapter 13: Apart But Not Separate

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who . Those are the sole property of the BBC.

Return to Satellite 5 AU: "Bad Wolf", "The Parting of the Ways" and "Born Again".

Note 1: Once again, I want to thank everyone who has made this story a favorite or put it on a story alert and I very much appreciate the reviews.

Note 2: This chapter has not been betad'.

Note 3: For those of you who've read my previous story '_The Quest for Damara_' the chapter where the Doctor cures Rose I was listening to Maroon 5's song '_Daylight_'.

Chapter Thirteen: Apart But Not Separate

The Dalek's in the main saucer ship were screaming for the Doctor's extermination, to Rose it sounded more like panicked fear rather than vengeful hatred.

The high pitched Gold Dalek as panicked as his fellows rounded on Rose advancing with its eyestalk trained on the human female. "_You associate of the Doctor! You know him! You will anticipate the Doctor's plans!_"

"What? No." Rose, with her mostly bare back against the cold smooth wall of the ship, stood stunned that these metal monsters thought she would willingly help them.

The Dalek glided further into Rose's personal space plunger shifting menacing.

Rose shivered both with fear and cold. "I can't. It's not possible. I wouldn't tell ya anyway, even if I could."

Rose flinched as the Dalek began screaming in a hysterical fashion. "_Anticipate! Anticipate! Anticipate!_"

Another Gold Dalek interrupted the other's panicked cries. "_We have detected the Doctor's ship! It is in flight towards the fleet!_"

The agitated Dalek turned away from Rose its high pitched electronic voice raised further. "_Exterminate the Doctor! Missiles launch!_"

At hearing the Dalek's command Rose became frantic. She wanted to smack the metal pepper pot. "You're gonna kill him! The TARDIS isn't a warship there's no defenses on her. Stop!"

"_Your knowledge is correct!_" The Dalek seemed to crow with glee at the blonde woman's obvious torment.

Rose shivered again, the cold interior of the spaceship she could stand but the thought of the TARDIS under fire was grating on her conscious. The Doctor was in danger and it was because of her.

* * *

"Ah, Doctor there's something coming at us from the blip on the monitor." Lynda cried out as she tightened her hold on the console in hopes of staying up right. "Agh, Make that two somethings."

Lynda Moss had been so caught up in the excitement that she'd rushed right into the blue box after the two men. She hadn't thought at all... just followed, that was until she found herself inside. The blue box had looked like it couldn't hold too much... but inside she'd stood amazed at how very much bigger it truly was. Lynda had a momentary thought to rushing back out to see if it really was smaller on the outside. The doors had slammed shut almost immediately behind her.

"There's the last hook-up. We should be ready for... Well almost anything." Jack's voice filled with adrenaline high excitement.

The Doctor danced around from one side of the TARDIS console to the other, pressing buttons, flipping switches and pulling on levers. "Well the first test in now."

The whole ship was shaking considerably, and Lynda wasn't sure it wouldn't just shake apart without it being hit by heavy artillery. The mauve round blips were now right on top of the blue square on the screen, which was the TARDIS, there was a loud concussive sound that reverberated inside the large vaulted chamber, the monitor that Lynda had been concentrating on went orange like fire.

The outside of the blue police box, the ship was engulfed in yellow and orange flames. The Dalek ships lost track of the TARDIS in the process.

Jack bumped shoulders with Lynda as he gave an exalted whoop. "Yeah, the extrapolator's working. Doc, that was a great bit of ingenious ingenuity with using Margaret's toy for a fully functional forcefield. Try saying that three times fast and drunk..."

"Oh Jack, I'm bursting with ingenious ideas, me." The Doctor replied absently as he continued piloting the space-time ship, twisting a few knobs, the TARDIS hummed louder, chorused by the grinding sound of dematerialization. The time rotor brighten and slide up and down rhythmically. "Now for the hat trick."

* * *

The wheezing, whining noise was the first sign that the Dalek's had been unsuccessful at destroying their enemy.

Rose glanced about, trying to anticipate where the TARDIS would show up as she wanted to be able to sprint to the old girl once she was fully solidify. The breeze that came whipped the blonde woman stylized hair and flimsy dress about.

The wooden form of the blue space-time ship began to coalesce around her. Rose stood very still not knowing if movement would have any adverse effects while the TARDIS materialized from the Time Vortex. Unfortunately, the blonde woman could see that she wasn't the only one that would be appearing inside the Doctor's ship, one of the Dalek's had been sitting too close and was going to be joining her inside the TARDIS.

* * *

As the ship became completely sold, Rose turned to see the Doctor standing next to the console staring directly in her direction. The TARDIS gave a final shudder and a surrounding thud as she came to a stop.

The Doctor's hearts were pounding a staccato rhythm in his chest as not only Rose appeared inside his TARDIS but one of the metal beings of his worst nightmares. "Rose! Get down!"

It was as if the relief of seeing the Doctor alive and well had momentarily made Rose a bit dim. The blonde could hear the Time Lord but she couldn't seem to understand the words.

The golden Dalek swiveled its eyestalk focusing in on the new threat. It processed the information instantly changing its aim to the alien man.

"Now, Rose get down!" The Doctor moved forward frantic, as his companion struggled with what was happening. If he had to the Doctor would tackle her, to get the blonde woman out of harms way.

Rose finally managed to comprehend what it was that the Doctor wanted her to do. The former shop girl let her body go limp and she collapsed to the grated floor.

At that same moment the Dalek found its voice. "_It is the Doctor! You will be Exterminated!_"

The metal pepper-pot aimed its weapon arm at the alien man before being distracted by the other man standing slightly behind, brandishing a large weapon. The Dalek shot at Jack, the energy, absorbed into the gun. The weapon converted it adding more power to its reserves. Jack immediately returned fire, the laser exploded the Dalek's outer casing. The being let out a terrible scream of pain. Black smoke billowed out leaving behind a smell of charred metal and Dalek flesh.

Rose scrambled up, racing towards the Doctor, she held out the urge to vomit as the odor permeated the air. The blonde woman couldn't help feeling a small amount of pity for the creature. At that second though she was immensely happy to be enveloped in the arms of the Doctor. "You're here!"

The Doctor stood holding on to Rose. It had been a near thing, the Time Lord's grip tightened for a few minutes as the universe righted itself. The tentative connection he'd initiated on Sarkios was back, but that wasn't all. There were three other presences surfacing in his mind. They were indistinct but very familiar to the Time Lord's brain. The Doctor closed his eyes for a moment basking in the warmth of the non-silence. His blue eyes widen in disbelief, it shouldn't have been possible, the Doctor pulled back and anguishly consider Rose.

"Feels like forever, since I last saw you." Rose smiled up at the alien man. Her brow furrowed a little, for she was perplexed by the look the Doctor was giving her. The man's face always showed so many differing emotions at once that it was sometimes hard to tell what exactly the Time Lord was thinking.

"Hmm, forever's a very long time. Beside didn't I tell you I was coming to get you." The Doctor replied forcing his mind to retreat from the information that only confirmed his suspicions but expound on them. The fear he been controlling was now much harder in fact it had grown exponentially.

Rose knew something was wrong but she figured that it was the thousands of Daleks outside. "Doctor, there was never any doubt."

"Glad one of us was so sure!" The Doctor joked, running his hands over Rose's partially bare back he realized at that moment the blonde woman's temperature was several degrees lower than it should've been. "Blimey, Rose you're frozen."

Rose gave a half laugh. "Yeah, well the Dalek's aren't really big on making their guests comfortable." Burrowing into the Doctor, the blonde asked the question she most wanted to know. "But seriously, Doctor how are you?"

The Time Lord pulled away taking off his leather coat and putting it around Rose's bare shoulders. "Good at the moment. Could always be better."

Rose couldn't contain the joy she felt as she was enveloped in the Doctor's too large black jacket. The smell, that of worn leather, grease, the Doctor's aftershave and a spicy scent that was uniquely him, surrounded her making the last vestiges of queasiness vanish. She wrapped it around herself for comfort as the Doctor abruptly distance himself, moving off to the destroyed Dalek.

No matter that, the Doctor had just discovered even more consequences from Sarkios, the main problem at the present was the massive Dalek armada that was waiting to takeover the Earth. The Time Lord's mind shifted fully onto that as he approached the trashed metal monster. He examined the remains of the Gold Dalek, and if he opened a small section of his brain to periodically assess Rose, he excused it as easier than asking her outright, and not that at with so brief a time the presence of the blonde woman's mind and that of the time tot's, which were growing in her womb, had become addictive.

Jack made himself known at that moment, "Well, how do you like that? Giving the Doc all the credit. Where's my reward?"

"Oh, Jack sorry." Rose immediately went to the 51st century man and drew him into a hug. She been a bit worried at first about being so close to him, since she'd been so ill being around men at the Game Station. Jack though was too irresistible, that she couldn't not give the man a hug to show her affection. The blonde was extremely relieved when none of the symptoms came back. Rose gave the blue-eyed man an extra squeeze before separating from him. "I didn't mean to leave you out."

"That's good, but I was hoping to get that reward from him." Jack teased, gesturing in the Doctor's retreating back. He wrapped his arms around Rose enjoying that she was alive and well. He said a prayer of thanks to whatever deity was willing to listen. He had a brief glimpse of life without her and for both his and especially for the Doctor he was very grateful that she was still with them. Rose Tyler was their faith, conscious and compassion.

A subdued cough came from behind them by the console monitor. Jack laughed in embarrassment that he'd forgotten about the cute, newest member of the TARDIS crew. "Oh yeah, Rose. This is Lynda with a 'Y' Moss. She was a tremendous help in your rescue... twice."

Rose gazed at the new person... woman and felt a twinge of unease... honestly it was pure jealously at having to share and it wasn't just the Doctor and Jack but the TARDIS as well. However, Jackie Tyler hadn't raised an ill mannered daughter, cheeky but not ungrateful. She gave the blonde woman a tight smile holding out her hand. "Rose. Rose Tyler. Thanks."

"Oh, you're welcome. Believe me I didn't do so much." Lynda said quickly rambling on as she took hold of Rose hand and gave it an enthusiastic shake. The Doctor and Jack's friend was so pretty that Lynda felt very dowdy and not at all sure how to talk to the other blonde woman. The blue-eyed woman thought they were about the same age but somehow Rose seemed older. Lynda thought it was the eyes they were like an ancient golden brown, though they weren't nearly as old looking as the Doctor's.

"Anyway, Jack where'd you get that?" Rose was vastly aware of the Doctor's dislike, if not outright hatred, of guns.

Jack glanced over where he'd dropped the useless weapon then back at Rose. "Yeah, well it's part laser gun and defabricator that I cobbled together. Pretty much a piece of junk now it was a one shot wonder. Only enough energy for that lucky shot."

"Well, I'm glad of that lucky shot." Rose smiled taking Jack's hand and giving it a squeeze before pulling him where the Doctor was still prodding the lifeless Dalek. Lynda followed still a little unsure about her place in the groups dynamic.

* * *

In the ship, the Dalek's monitored the TARDIS. There was a heaviness in the air that dragged on the more time past and no active came from the blue box. The Dalek's shuffled with anticipation and foreboding.

Into that tense atmosphere, a deep raspy voice thunder, "_My brethren, patience the fiend will emerge soon._"

* * *

Rose stood behind the Doctor not want to tempt fate, she'd finally stopped being queasy. "Doctor, I thought the last one was destroyed in Utah, two thousand and twelve."

The ex-time agent had no problem with getting closer to the metal casing with the corpse of the actually Dalek inside. It was the first time he'd ever seen what one looked like without the armor. "Utah, huh. They used to be every where and when. They gave no mercy because they had none. Then out of the blue they disappeared."

"Their insides look scary then the outside." Lynda commented as she looked closer to the mangled mass.

Rose stared at the blonde woman amazed that that was her first observation. Okay maybe, the cyclops eye and tentacles were more off putting than the shiny metal exterior. Really though the eyestalk, plunger arm and the loud cries of exterminate made up for it.

"Their outsides don't have to be scary if the insides are rotten." The Doctor stated. His next words held a trace of the horror and buried hatred he had for the Dalek's. "The reason they took off was they had a bigger opponent to defeat... and a war that was far bigger... the Time War."

"Doc, that's just a story fallen under myth or legend maybe even a fairy tale to some. It was meant to frighten or inspire small kids." Jack said as he stared in amazed realization that he should have known it was all real.

"Nothing inspiring about it. Billions upon billions of sentient beings dying, planets wiped from existence. I was right in the middle of it. I tried, but in the end both sides were destroyed. The Time Lords in the end took the Daleks with them." The Doctor's face went through myriad of different emotions. He was so frustrated, angry and sad at the waste and his part in the whole thing. He felt Rose's hand rubbing up and down his back. Her human warmth radiated through the fabric of his jumper. He almost broke from the comfort and love that wash over him from Rose.

Clenching his jaw, the Doctor stood straighter. "It was all meaningless. Everything... all the death... my planet dead for nothing." His voice was so soft that the three barely heard him.

Rose glanced quickly from Jack to Lynda before stepping closer to the Doctor. She didn't deny that she was terrified but Rose had every confidence in the alien man. "Doctor, you have a plan yeah?"

"Nope." The Doctor said cheerfully as he squashed down the urge to run. "Well we can't just stand here gossiping like Jackie Tyler on a free line. Won't get answers in here." He pulled away from Rose and skirted around the lump of metal, rushing down the ramp towards the doors that were keeping the monsters at bay.

Rose couldn't believe what she was hearing. The blonde woman knew that the Time Lord was spur of the moment type but he didn't have any ideas. Rose took a moment to realize that the madman was going out unprotected to face the horde of Daleks. "No. Doctor stop it's not safe..."

Rose raced after the Doctor followed closely behind by Jack and Lynda.

The Doctor paid no attention to Rose's urgent cries. He opened the door with a flourish and walked out to face one of his most deadliest enemies.

TBC...


	15. Chapter 14: Apart But Not Separate

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series Doctor Who. Those are the sole property of the BBC.

Return to Satellite 5 AU: "Bad Wolf", "The Parting of the Ways" and "Born Again".

Chapter Fourteen: Apart But Not Separate

As soon as the Time Lord appeared out of the blue box, the Dalek's began firing. _"Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!"_ Their screams echoed in a cacophony of sound.

The Doctor smiled as the bolts of energy were deflected off the extrapolator's force field. The Time Lord could feel his companions in the doorway of the TARDIS anguish and disturbed by his mocking attitude toward the dangerous beings. He even raised his arms as if to give them an easier target. After couple of seconds the single minded Dalek's stopped.

"Are you done? Pathetic! Lose turn." The Doctor loudly mocked the Daleks, who were still pointing the their weapons at him. The Time Lord ignored the immediate danger just beyond the force field, as he went back to his companions and nonchalantly leaned against the TARDIS.

"Oh, come on you lot. Their not going to hurt you. Nothing can get past that force field." The Doctor proclaimed confidently.

Lynda hesitated still at the TARDIS doorway. "Really, it can hold back all of them?"

Rose couldn't help the annoyance she felt at the other woman's question even if she was a little skeptical herself of the Doctor's claim. The former shop girl took a small breath letting the negative emotion go. Now was not the time to let such attitudes to be in control.

"Yeah, not quite everything." The Captain said a bit louder than he intended.

The Doctor turned glaring, ice blue eyes on Jack. "Yes. Info that I wasn't going to give out. Ta." He was glad that at the same moment Rose's feelings stopped fluctuating. He needed to concentrate as there was more at stake than just the Game Station and Earth being in danger.

Jack looked sheepishly at the Doctor. The adrenaline had gotten the better of his tongue. He'd forgotten one of the rules of engaging the enemy, that of not give out important information. "Sorry."

The silence after was almost deafening as both sides watched the other. The Doctor broke the stand-off. "Do you remember the ancient legends of Dalek Home world? The name that they had bestowed on me... The Oncoming Storm. Yeah, the name still has the power to cause the one emotion that your creator couldn't remove. Oh, you hide it behind loud cries but you still feel... fear." The Doctor stepped forward taunting them with each word.

The Dalek's eye-stalks and plunger arms shifted restlessly. Their metal bodies even seemed to quiver at the Doctor's declaration.

"It's got to chafe for you to have to face me now? All right... The Time War how did you escape?"

_"Because of me. They escaped your final weapon because of me."_ The loud voice that had early cautioned the Dalek's watching and waiting for the Doctor to come out. The wavering slightly metallic voice sent a chill down the three humans standing just outside of the TARDIS doors.

The Doctor had also felt that same chill but it was colder and filled with more than just fear. Anger and sadness were mixed into the volatile mix. He turned to face an enemy that had plagued him for centuries. The Dalek Emperor was position in the middle of the large vaulted room large sections of metal frame work held the glass apparatus, filled with liquid, which the one-eyed, tentacle being resided in.

The Doctor stepped towards the monstrosity not quite believing his eyes. His voice when it came out was more subdued, "Rose... Jack... Lynda met the Dalek's Emperor."

_"Yes Doctor we escaped your inferno of death. You destroyed all in your path except for my ship. It survived crippled and falling through space and time, but alive."_ The Emperor imparted calmly loud enough for all to hear.

The Doctor nodded as he understood just how that could have happened. "Yes, I get it."

_"Do not interrupt!"_ It started with just one Dalek, spreading to two, three and then the whole lot were chanting the same three words over and over.

The sound of thousands of Daleks repeating the same words echoed deafeningly. Rose, Jack and Lynda covered their ears at the discordant racket. Lynda stepped closer to Jack for protection.

Rose stayed next to Jack even as she wanted to run to the Doctor's side. She longed to take the Time Lord's hand for both safety and morale support as the blonde woman knew just how much pain the alien man was going through. One Dalek had brought out a side of the Time Lord that Rose didn't want to see again... it was frightening.

The Doctor was keeping it together admirable as he projected only annoyance and confident anger at being interrupted and the Daleks attempting to put him in his place. He turned on the eager metal soldiers. "Oi, forgotten already. I'm the Doctor. I'm all about talking quite good at it actually, me. In knowing about five billion different languages, you lot would be hard press to be able to stop me. I'm only going to say this once shut up! Now me and the Emperor are going to have a chat."

The Daleks closest to the alien man skidder back. The hated fear they had of the Doctor was marked still by the small apparent threat the Time Lord had implied.

The Doctor turned back all false brightness as if he'd hadn't just intimidated a mass of gold metal pepper potts. "And where'd we leave off. Oh, yes falling through time and space."

_"Yes Doctor. We fell until ending here in the darkness. Beyond humanities reach, rebuilding, planning and centuries of integrating into all of Earth's endeavors, guiding them towards their inevitable end. It took time to cultivate the need material from those that came first. We took all refining, purifying extracting from the remains."_ The Emperor spoke with exalted pride at the Dalek's ingenuity to recreate life from so little.

Rose held a hand over her mouth as the thought of what these Daleks had done in order to create more of themselves. It quite literally turned her stomach.

The Emperor Dalek looked down at the Doctor it's one eye gleaming with much more than triumph at besting the Time Lord but a long lived madness. _"Oh, you're Human Race Doctor it took so many for they are corrupt. Out of billions only one cell could be transformed into the perfect Dalek Race."_

The Doctor stood disbelief and disgust on his face, "The dead. Dead Humans are how you created your army of Daleks." The alien man stated

"That's horrible." Lynda sobbed as she hid her face into the side Jack's upper arm.

The Captain didn't have any words. He had taken in the words of the squishy looking alien and knew that they were all true the Daleks and slaughtered billions in an effort to rebuild so as to continue to kill even more. To him it really wasn't that shocking, they were just doing really what they seemed built to do destroy all living things.

Rose certainly agreed with Lynda that what these Daleks had done was horrible, but her curiosity got the better and stepped closer to the Doctor. "But Doctor doesn't that... well mean their half human?" She asked in a quiet voice.

Rose hadn't been quiet enough as the Emperor Dalek heard her words, he shouted out stridently, _"Your words are heresy!"_

_"Hersey! Do not speak heresy!"_ Once again a Dalek took up his master's vehement declaration. The other's followed, chant grew from there until it seemed that the entire fleet was heralding the same cries.

They only went quiet when the Emperor spoke, "The Human element was stripped. I divined there would only be true perfect Dalek."

The Doctor looked around at metal soldiers, then back to the Emperor of Daleks. It was disturbing to hear such theological ideas being spouted by beings that had forsaken all in there need to be superior. Oh not good, thought the Doctor as he had to ask for clarity on the matter. "And tell me when did the Daleks take up the ideology of heresy?"

The Emperor stared hard at the Doctor almost puffing with self importance it cried out. _"I am not only the Daleks Emperor but their God! I am their creator from nothing I created new life!"_

_"Revere him! Worship him! Revere him! Worship him!"_ Thousands of Daleks shouted out the Emperor's dogma.

The Doctor stepped back between Rose and Jack with Lynda still standing, seeking protection from, the 51st century man. "They've gone insane! Everyone of them they were driven mad... all those years silently hiding and so close to humans."

"Oh, then combining their flesh with humanity it literally drove them completely barking!" The Doctor felt complied forward, gazing at the golden metallic Dalek's sympathetically. He'd been alone, but never so long, if he had it would have finished the job propelling him into madness that each progressive regeneration already increased.

The Time Lord shook his head the steps the Daleks had taken to preserve their existence, in the end they not only hated those different from themselves but now they hated their continued life apart of that which they despised. "You loath you very being. Your even more deadly for it." Looking back at the insane Emperor of Daleks one last time the Doctor gestured for the three, back towards the TARDIS. "Well it's been fun, but we're off."

_"You __**are**__ order to stay!"_ The Emperor's command was futile as the four dashed back to the TARDIS. One after the other they filed through the door, into the relative safety of the blue police box.

_"Halt! You are not allowed to leave!"_

The Daleks watched uselessly as the group escaped into the time-space ship. The metal pepper potts quivered as the Doctor turned back grinning broadly and gave a jaunty wave before closing the door.

The alien man's last mocking departure renewed the Daleks need to destroy the insolent Time Lord. The army screamed out, _"Exterminate!"_ and began firing as though shear force of the weapons and insist demands would crumble the force field, so they could reach their true target.

* * *

The Doctor could hear the shouts and lasers clashing against the force field. He hadn't a clue as what to do next. The alien man rest both hands and forehead against the cool surface of the TARDIS's door. He swallowed hard as he let the noise of battles cries he'd hope never have heard again washed over him. It seemed to punctate the utter waste it was in fighting back, the Daleks seemed to never stop haunting him.

The Doctor felt Rose before she slid a hand over his back. The warmth of her touch snapped the Time Lord out of his pity party. He didn't have time to wallow in the past. The future was in flux and any chance for them to make it out alive was in his hands. He had quite a bit personal to lose and the fate of the Earth weighed heavy on his shoulders. They were all counting on him to save the day. Rose, his lovely Rose she would stand by him no matter what; Jack had turned out to be more loyal than any con-artist the Doctor had ever met... and he'd met more than his fair share and Lynda with a 'y' so not ready for such adventures but willing trusted a strange mad man when he'd offer a hand.

These were people to fight for and to push back his own insecurities to get the job done. The Doctor just hoped that when it was over they would all still be alive, and if they were he was going to have some explaining to do. The thought of the a Tyler slap in his near future almost had him wincing.

"Well, we don't want to stay around here." The Doctor said pushing away from the doors. He took Rose's hand and pulled her after him up to the console. He gave the young blonde woman's hand a squeeze of appreciate before letting go to pilot the TARDIS back to the Game Station.

TBC...


End file.
